Soybean, one of the most cultivated crops in India contributes significantly to the Indian economy being a part of the Indian edible oil pool. Soybean is one of those crops that is an oilseed crop, a legume crop, and is also used to prepare flour.
India ranks fourth in respect to the production of soybean in the world. Not only this, many farmers are dependent on soybean farming, and it serves as a lifter of farmers’ economic status.
Commercial Production of Soybean
In India, commercial production of this leguminous oilseed has started after the mid-’60s with India leading the way, followed by Nepal. And in the early ’70s, the regional spread of soybean cultivation covered about 7,700 hectares in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5,900 hectares) and Maharashtra (1800 hectares). And by the time, production increased in Madhya Pradesh (more than 4 billion hectares till date), that is more than any other state in India.
And Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan together contribute more than 96% of the area under cultivation and production of soybean in the country.
Madhya Pradesh: Soybean Hub
Talking about the major soybean-growing states, Madhya Pradesh ranks first in the list. Many varieties of soybean are grown in different districts of Madhya Pradesh including Indore, Dhar, Khandwa, Jhabua, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Shajapur, Barwani, Khargone, Bhopal, Sehore, Raisen, Vidisha, Betul, Rajgarh, Harda, Hoshangabad, and more.
There are about 2500 varieties of soybean, which come in different sizes, shapes & colors.
As per the information from ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, located at Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the following are the most grown soybean varieties in Madhya Pradesh:
- Ahilya 1 (NRC 2)
- Ahilya 3 (NRC 7)
- Ahilya 2 (NRC 12)
- Ahilya 4 (NRC 37)
- JS 71-05
- JS 335
- JS 80-21
- JS 75-46
- MACS 58
- JS 90-41
- Indira Soy 9
- JS 93-05
- Kalitur
- Parbhani Sona (MAUS 47)
- Pratishtha (MAUS 61-2)
- Monetta
- Punjab-1
- PK 472
- Shakti (MAUS 81)
