Soyabean sector of Maharashtra: Pattern of growth and prospects

Soyabean is on its road to become the most important crop in the cropping pattern of Maharashtra. However, the analysis of growth rates of area, production and productivity underlines the slowdown in the overall growth in the case of soyabean both at the state and district level in the post 2000 period. The major factor responsible for this was the lower proportion of irrigated area allocated to soyabean crop. The available data shows that only 0.4 percent of the soyabean area is irrigated. In view of increasing demand for edible oil and increasing reliance on imports to satisfy the domestic demand, productivity enhancement would help in maintaining and increasing the current level of soybean production. There is a need to increase productivity of soybean through provision of irrigation, quality seeds and extension regarding correct mix of quality inputs. This definitely calls for implementation of policies for arresting the slowdown in the soyabean sector.