29-05-2025
To sow or not: The question Maharashtra's soyabean farmers face amid early monsoon onset
Over the past few days, farmers at Takli in Maharashtra's Latur district are confused about whether or not to start sowing soyabean, the largest-grown cash crop of the state. Vilas Uphade, a resident who is also the director of Vikas Farmers Producers Company (FPC), says soil moisture has increased after the heavy rain, prompting many to start sowing soyabean.
'The biggest uncertainty is whether this rain would continue-if there is a gap during the vegetative growth phase, all our efforts will go in vain,' he said. The early onset of the monsoon has thus put soyabean growers in a fix. The heavy rain in a short period of time has led to increased soil moisture, making fields conducive for sowing. Some farmers like Yuvraj Patil from Nanded district have not been able to complete their land preparation.
'Some had finished tilling but the raising of beds and row formation are yet to be done. At some places farmers have to add manure,' he said. But those who have finished these operations, Patil said, want to go for sowing.
Since March 1, both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh–two major soyabean-producing states–have received 150.2 mm and 37.7 mm of rainfall, respectively. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), normally these states receive 22.4 mm and 16.5 mm of rainfall, respectively, in the same period.
The confusion among farmers can be easily explained through the rainfall figures for Marathwada and Vidarbha–the two major soyabean-producing regions of the state. Marathwada reported 97.5 mm of rainfall (against a normal of 22.2 mm) and Vidharbha even higher, 133.4 mm (against 22.4mm).
Indra Mani, vice-chancellor of the Parbhani-headquartered Vasantrao Naik Krishi Vidyapeth, the state agriculture university, explained that most of the rain the regions had received was pre-monsoon showers. 'As this rainfall is considered pre-monsoon, farmers are advised not to rush for soyabean sowing. Instead, they should utilise the available moisture for preparatory field operations such as ploughing and soil preparation,' he said.
An advisory issued by K S Baig, director of research at the Soyabean Research Centre, and agrometeorologists S M Umate and K K Dakhore cautioned farmers against early sowing. 'It is recommended that they undertake sowing after the official onset of the monsoon and after receiving at least 75 to 100 mm of rainfall, ideally after June 10-15,' said the advisory.
On average, Maharashtra reports 40 lakh hectares of soyabean sowing every kharif season.
Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More
