Soybean Production Projected to Rise in Madhya Pradesh, Fall in Maharashtra

Mumbai. The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA)—a key organization representing the domestic vegetable oil industry and trade—has projected that total national soybean production for the current 2026-27 marketing season (October–September) will decline by 2.11% to 107.93 lakh tonnes, compared to the 2025-26 season. Production is expected to increase in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while a decline is anticipated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

According to the latest report, soybean production in Madhya Pradesh, which stood at 43.24 lakh tonnes in the 2025-26 season, is expected to reach 57.16 lakh tonnes in the current 2026-27 season—a significant increase of 32.2%. The area under soybean cultivation in the state has expanded from 48.64 lakh hectares last year to 52.09 lakh hectares this year, with the average yield projected to rise from 889 kg per hectare to 1,108 kg per hectare (2,471 kg per acre).

Similarly, soybean production in Rajasthan is expected to surge by 48.2% over the previous year, reaching 9.47 lakh tonnes. Conversely, production in Maharashtra is projected to fall sharply by 33.2%, dropping to 34.88 lakh tonnes. In Maharashtra, the soybean crop has been adversely affected in several regions due to severe drought conditions.

According to SOPA, the total area under soybean cultivation nationwide has increased by approximately 5%—or 5.60 lakh hectares—rising from 112.14 lakh hectares last year to 117.73 lakh hectares this year. Had it not been for the drought crisis in Maharashtra and the southern states, there could have been a bumper domestic soybean harvest this year. Soybean crops across approximately 7.76 lakh hectares in the country were destroyed, leaving only 109.98 lakh hectares available for actual harvesting.