By Partha Sarathi Biswas
Nanded, Maharashtra: Yuvraj Patil (43) feels that after growing soyabean for over 15 years, it may be time to look for alternatives. A farmer from Shelgaon village in Ardhapur taluka of Maharashtra’s Nanded district, Patil says his net loss from agriculture this year has crossed Rs 10 lakh.
Patil cultivates custard apple on eight acres, papaya on two acres, sugarcane on 10 acres and soyabean on another 10 acres, over his total landholding of 30 acres. This year, he says, he has suffered losses in all crops barring sugarcane. Soyabean, however, has been the most consistent source of loss.
“I normally grow soyabean over 10 acres. But this would be the third year in a row when the crop has failed to even recover the cost of production. I am not sure how long I will be able to continue with it,” he said.
Soyabean, the most widely grown kharif crop for farmers in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, has turned unreliable for cultivators like Patil who have grown it for years. Once seen as a stable, high-return oilseed, soyabean had spread rapidly across regions, particularly in Marathwada and Vidarbha, before expanding into parts of north Maharashtra and even the sugarcane belt of western Maharashtra.
The crop grows well in both black cotton and red laterite soils and requires an average rainfall of 500-700 mm during the season. After Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra has the second-largest area under soyabean cultivation in the country, with farmers growing it over 38–42 lakh hectares during the kharif season. Nationally, soyabean is grown over around 120 lakh hectares.
But the kharif season of 2025 saw a decline in acreage. As against 124.24 lakh hectares reported in kharif 2024, soyabean acreage fell to 119.51 lakh hectares in 2025—a year-on-year decline of about five per cent.
Farmers and experts attribute this steady dip to a combination of unseasonal weather events and persistently low prices.
Falling yields
For Patil, this would be the third consecutive year in which soyabean prices have remained below the government-declared Minimum Support Price (MSP). Against an MSP of Rs 5,328 per quintal, mandi prices at Latur’s wholesale market are currently between Rs 4,800 and Rs 4,900 per quintal.
But prices are only part of the problem. Farmers across regions say prolonged and unseasonal rains during October, when soyabean is ready for harvest, have caused both yield losses and deterioration in quality.
“Invariably, it rains during October when the crop is ready for harvest. In parts of Nanded, where farmlands are close to rivers, farmers have reported 100% crop loss,” Patil said. “Farmers in low-lying areas have started skipping kharif sowing altogether and are going directly for rabi chana.”
While unseasonal rains have occurred earlier as well, farmers say their frequency and intensity have increased over the past three years. Prices, meanwhile, have remained depressed throughout this period.
“On average, yields have dropped from 10 quintals per acre to just four or five quintals,” Patil said. “With a cost of production of around Rs 25,000 per acre, we are barely able to recover our costs at current prices. Labour charges have increased drastically.”
Patil said he has considered shifting to other crops, but limited market access remains a constraint. “Unlike Pune or Nashik, we don’t have markets for vegetables. The options are maize or jowar, but returns from both are limited,” he said.
Patil runs an agricultural input shop in his village and says this has become his primary source of income. “If losses continue, I will have to rethink my agricultural practices,” he said.
Diversifying
In Kajla village of Badnapur taluka in Jalna district, Balasaheb Dake (30) has started a small ghee manufacturing unit using milk from indigenous cows. Dake cultivates soyabean and cotton over his 16-acre holding and said the new business is meant to offset losses from farming, particularly soyabean.
“We have been growing soyabean for generations. But over the last three years, I haven’t made any money because of post-harvest losses,” he said. Dake has also diverted half an acre of land for moringa plantation and has started practising as a criminal lawyer in the Jalna district court to supplement his income.
“Soyabean was the golden crop…we doubled our investment in several years. But both prices and yields have eroded our trust in it,” he said.
Dr Indra Mani, vice chancellor of the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agriculture University in Parbhani, said the soyabean harvest period of October-November has begun coinciding with the return monsoon. “We have to accept that this is the new normal. The vagaries of the monsoon can’t be denied,” he said.
According to Mani, these rains lead to both quantity and quality losses. “The crop is facing problems. We need strategies to bridge this gap,” he said.
Dr Anupam Kashyapi, former head of weather forecasting at the India Meteorological Department, said rainfall extending through October is not normal. “Rain in late September and early October is expected, but in recent years it has continued throughout October,” he said, adding that climate change could be a factor, though further research is needed.
“Farmers plan agriculture based on monsoon cycles. Unseasonal rains disrupt harvesting and cause losses,” Kashyapi said.
After Indore, Latur is the second-largest soyabean-growing region in the country. Farmers there have historically reported some of the highest per-acre yields, with several Farmer Producer Companies selling directly to processors and bypassing mandis.
Yet even in Latur, farmers say confidence in the crop is eroding.
“Our region is suited for soyabean. We have multiple solvent extraction and oil expeller units, and Latur’s market sets prices nationally,” said Vilas Uphade (39), a farmer from Takli village in Latur district who has grown soyabean for over 20 years.
“This would be the fourth straight year of loss for me. Even now, I’m selling below MSP. This year too, it rained during harvest,” Uphade said. He reported yields of eight quintals per acre, against his usual 15 quintals. “Quality deterioration is a major issue. Beans are spotted or inferior because of rain during harvest.”
Soyabean cultivation began in Latur in the late 1970s, after drought devastated cotton crops. The oilseed was introduced by oil expellers seeking to expand their business, and acreage expanded steadily due to better returns.
“We had a good run,” Uphade said. “But now it feels like nature itself wants us to give up the crop.”
Shrinking margins
The current soyabean marketing season has again begun with prices below MSP. Naresh Goenka, vice-president of the Indore-based Soyabean Processors Association (SOPA), said easy availability of imported edible oil has depressed domestic prices.
In September 2025, SOPA wrote to the Union agriculture minister seeking an increase in import duty on edible oils from 10% to 20%. The association flagged declining oilseed acreage and urged government intervention to ensure better returns for farmers.
A solvent extraction unit owner in Latur, speaking on condition of anonymity, said farmers would gradually move away from soyabean if returns do not improve.
In its letter, SOPA stated that continuous inflow of cheap imported edible oils had depressed domestic oilseed prices and discouraged farmers from sustaining or expanding cultivation. The association pointed to a visible decline in acreage and noted that prices remained below MSP throughout the marketing year, forcing the government to intervene through procurement. Even then, procurement stocks had to be liquidated at a loss.
Beyond oil, soyabean is also used to produce soyameal, a key protein source for animal feed, particularly poultry. Feed manufacturers have increasingly begun substituting soyameal with Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), a by-product of grain-based ethanol production.
With the government’s push for ethanol blending, DDGS availability has increased, and processors say this has further weakened demand for soyameal.
Limited relief
To support farmers, the central government, through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), has procured soyabean at MSP. However, many farmers say the Fair and Average Quality norms, 10% moisture, 3% damaged grains and 2% foreign matter, are difficult to meet, particularly after unseasonal rains.
NAFED has reported procurement of over 3.6 lakh tonnes of soyabean in Maharashtra till January 7.
In Akoli Jahangir village of Akot taluka in Akola district, Lalit Patil has steadily reduced the area under soyabean from 20 acres to around 10 acres. “The crop is no longer viable. Either it rains during harvest or prices are far below expectations,” he said.
“Farmers who can have shifted to turmeric or sugarcane, but most cannot. Either they lack irrigation or market access,” he added. Lalit Patil and other members of the Shetkari Sanghatana said better technology, including genetically modified seeds, could help improve outcomes.
In parts of Pune district, such as Ambegaon, Junnar and Khed, soyabean continues to be grown as a rotation crop. Ashok Bhor (40), a farmer from Ranjane village in Ambegaon taluka, grows soyabean on one acre of his four-acre holding.
“Soyabean helps improve soil fertility, so farmers use it in rotation with cash crops,” said Bhor, who is also a director of the Bhimashankar Farmers Producer Company.
His village has around 100 acres under soyabean cultivation, but farmers there too have faced losses due to heavy October rains. “Farmers here often diversify into vegetables or onions for quicker returns,” Bhor said. With farmers gradually moving away from soyabean, he said FPCs formed around the crop are being forced to explore other business models.
Dr Mani said agricultural universities are promoting strategies such as early and late sowing, short-duration varieties and intercropping soyabean with tur to help farmers manage weather risks. Varieties suited for mechanised harvesting are also being promoted.
“Our research focuses on climate-resilient varieties that can be harvested in a shorter time span,” he said.
(GP)
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