Indore: India's soybean production is expected to decline marginally by 2.11 per cent to 107.93 lakh tonnes in the ongoing Kharif season despite drought-like conditions in several regions, the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has said.
Higher output in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will likely largely offset crop losses in Maharashtra, according to the association's first crop estimate report. The data was shared during the concluding session of SOPA's international soybean conference in Indore on Saturday.
Soybean is a key oilseed crop that provides domestic cooking oil and a protein base for the livestock and poultry industries.
Overall production is estimated to decline by 2.11 per cent from the previous season, the association said.
It attributed the losses in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana to prolonged dry spells and moisture deficiency during critical stages of crop growth. Soybean crops sown across a combined 7.02 lakh hectares in these three states were completely destroyed and could not be harvested, it said.
"Madhya Pradesh has had a good soybean crop this time. The yield in Rajasthan has also been good," SOPA executive director D N Pathak told PTI.
"Higher production in both states has almost offset the losses in Maharashtra. Besides, the area under soybean cultivation nationwide increased by around 5 lakh hectares compared with the previous season," he said.
According to SOPA's estimates, soybean production in Madhya Pradesh, the country's largest producer of the oilseed, is expected to reach 57.16 lakh tonnes this time, which is 32.2 per cent higher than the 43.24 lakh tonnes recorded last year.
The area under soybean cultivation in the state has increased to 52.09 lakh hectares from 48.64 lakh hectares a year ago. Average yield is projected to rise to 1,108 kg per hectare (or 2.471 acres) from 889 kg per hectare, the association said.
In Maharashtra, production is estimated to fall 33.2 per cent to 34.88 lakh tonnes, while Rajasthan is expected to register a 48.2 per cent increase to 9.47 lakh tonnes.
Soybean was sown across 117.73 lakh hectares in the current Kharif season, nearly 5 per cent more than the 112.14 lakh hectares recorded in 2025. However, deficient soil moisture and drought conditions affected the crop across 7.76 lakh hectares, reducing the actual harvested area to 109.98 lakh hectares, SOPA said.
With an estimated average yield of 981 kg per hectare in the harvested area, total soybean production is projected at 107.93 lakh tonnes, compared with 110.26 lakh tonnes in the previous Kharif season, when the average yield stood at 983 kg per hectare.