An economic efficiency of soybean production in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Madhya Pradesh is one of the largest soybean producing states in India, where soybean accounts for more than 55 per cent of total oilseeds produced in the state. On the basis of agro-climatic conditions, Madhya Pradesh is divided into eleven regions. Among all regions, Malwa region occupies the highest area under soybean crop. Though Malwa region is a major producer of soybean in the Madhya Pradesh, but its productivity is lower in comparison to other regions in the state. The productivity differentials across regions may be attributed to low level of technology adoption, non-availability of high yielding varieties and good quality seed, low and unbalanced use of chemical fertilizers and uneconomic nature of the crop. As the country is in short supply of edible oil and about 50 per cent of its edible oil consumption is fulfilled by imports of different vegetable oils, therefore, there is a need to promote the production of oilseeds like soybean. There has been a slow growth in soybean production in India, which is subject to erratic rainfall, poor management, incidence of pests and disease, shattering of pods etc. For soybean production to be a remunerative enterprise farmer should be able to get a considerable net profit over all costs and thus it is the farmer’s chief concern to ensure a satisfactory margin between the cost of various inputs and selling price of the product.