Soybean sowing in India's central Madhya Pradesh state, the biggest producer in the country, is likely to accelerate in a week, although it has picked up in second biggest producer Maharashtra after both states received good rainfall in the past two days.
There were concerns about soybean sowing in the two states that account for over 85 percent of total output due to poor rainfall in the first half of June. Soybean is mainly a rain-fed crop and the monsoon rains play a crucial part in deciding yields. "The state is getting good rainfall. Farmers have started soybean sowing. It should accelerate in a week as soil moisture level has improved," said a senior official at Madhya Pradesh state's agriculture department, who declined to be identified. The state received sharply higher-than-normal rainfall on Monday and was likely to get more rains in the next three days, weather department said on Tuesday.
"At the beginning of the season rainfall was very poor, but since the weekend Vidarbha region is getting good rainfall. Farmers have hastened sowing operations," said an official at Maharashtra's farm department, who declined to be named. Soybean is the main summer-sown oilseed crop in the south Asian country and fluctuation in output dictates India's edible oil imports, mainly of palm and soyoil, and oilmeal exports. India is the world's biggest importer of edible oil. At 1031 GMT, the most-active soybean for July delivery on India's National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) was 0.38 percent higher at 2,275 rupees ($50.55) per 100 kg.
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