Soybean sown in 69.39 lakh hectare

Indore, July 23 (UNI) More than 69 lakh hectare area has been brought under soybean cultivation in different states during this kharif season till July second week as against an area of 76.72 lakh hectares brought during kharif 2005.

According to Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA), 41.74 lakh hectare was sown in Madhya Pradesh, also known as the Soya state, by July 20.

Releasing the data, SOPA Chairperson Rajesh Agrawal said rains during the soybean sowing came in two spells -- first on the 4th week of June and second at the end of first week of July.

After rainfall in the first week of July, 73 per cent of soybean cultivable area was sown. By the end of July second week, 91 per cent of the area was sown.

Mr Agrawal said the crop now was in good condition and no serious damage of blue-beetle was observed.

Area under soybean cultivation was 20.083 lakh hectares in Maharashtra, 4.48 lakh hectare in Rajasthan, 1.4 lakh hectare in Karnataka, 0.56 hectare in Andhra Pradesh, 0.78 hectare in Chhattisgarh and 0.30 lakh hectare in rest of India including Uttar Pradesh.

The crop condition was fairly good in all these areas, he added.

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