Lang
India's soybean production for marketing year 2026/27 is projected to decline by 8%, according to the US Department of Agriculture, as erratic monsoon rainfall and farmer shifts toward cotton and corn weigh on the harvest.
The US agency pegged the upcoming crop at 9.6 million tons, down from its previous estimate of 10.4 million tons, with average yields expected at around 0.91 tonnes per hectare.
Soybean planted area is forecast at 10.5 million hectares, 6% below the prior USDA estimate of 11.2 million hectares. Irregular rainfall during the planting window disrupted fieldwork, particularly in Maharashtra, one of the country's main producing states. The uptake of high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties is expected to partially offset the loss in planted area.
With a smaller harvest in prospect, soybean crushing could ease to 8.7 million tons from the earlier projection of 9.3 million tons. USDA expects India to offset tighter domestic supplies and the resulting squeeze on vegetable oil output by stepping up soybean oil imports.
Domestic demand, meanwhile, is showing no signs of slowing. Food use is climbing on growing appetite for tofu, soy milk and soy flour, while feed use is forecast to rise by 25% versus the previous estimate. Poultry producers are turning to more soybean meal as additional corn volumes are diverted to ethanol production.
USDA forecasts India's soybean imports at 500,000 tons in 2026/27, up sharply from the previous estimate of 200,000 tons. Benin, Niger and Togo remain the main suppliers of non-GM soybeans to India, although expanding processing capacity in those countries could limit the volumes available for export.
Source: ukragroconsult.com