India’s soybean production to fall 2 million tonnes due to weather woes, crop virus: SOPA

K K Jha
Indore: India’s production of soybean, often referred to as the “yellow gold” of farmers, is projected to decline by about 2.05 million tonnes this year to 10.536 million tonnes, according to the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA).
The industry body attributed the decline to a reduction in acreage and productivity, coupled with the adverse impact of erratic monsoon rains and the outbreak of the yellow mosaic virus in major soybean-growing regions.
The announcement came as SOPA released its annual report on Thursday during the International Soy Conclave 2025 held in Indore, attended by hundreds of industry stakeholders, processors, traders, and policymakers from across the country.
According to the report, soybean was sown on 11.456 million hectares during the current Kharif season (2025), with an estimated production of 10.536 million tonnes and an average productivity of 920 kg per hectare. In comparison, during the 2024 Kharif season, the crop covered 11.832 million hectares, yielding 12.582 million tonnes with an average productivity of 1,063 kg per hectare.
“Excessive monsoon rains, especially in Rajasthan, have reduced soybean output by nearly half in several regions,” said Dr. Davish Jain, Chairman of SOPA.
SOPA Executive Director D. N. Pathak added that the yellow mosaic virus outbreak further aggravated losses in many soybean belts.
Madhya Pradesh, the country’s largest soybean producer, suffered extensive crop damage due to heavy rains. In response, the state government has launched a price difference payment scheme to protect farmers. Under this initiative, if traders purchase soybeans below the Minimum Support Price (MSP), the government will pay the difference directly to farmers.
Highlighting the country’s heavy dependence on imports, SOPA noted that India imports more than 60% of its total edible oil requirement, costing the exchequer around ₹1.7 trillion annually in foreign exchange.
To reduce this dependency, SOPA has called for a “seed revolution” to boost soybean yields through high-yielding, pest-resistant seed varieties and greater adoption of technology and sustainable farming practices. The Centre has fixed the MSP of soybean at ₹5,328 per quintal for the Kharif marketing season 2025–26, up by ₹436 from the previous year’s ₹4,892 per quintal.