IndianAgri
Kharif

Soybean

Glycine max · Fabaceae (legumes)

India's most important kharif oilseed — a key source of edible oil and, as meal, the protein base of the poultry and livestock feed industry.

Production · Soybean

13.06 MT

130.62 lakh tonnes — 2023–24

Source: DA&FW Final Estimates 2023–24 (PIB)
2023–24

Key figures

MSP

₹5,708

per quintal — yellow

CCEA / CACP (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

Area

13.25 M ha

area under soybean

DES — Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 · 2023–24

Yield

985 kg/ha

about 4 quintals per acre

DES — Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 · 2023–24

Cost of production

₹3,805

per quintal (A2+FL)

CACP via CCEA (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

World producer

No. 5

top-5 producer

FAOSTAT · reference

World area

No. 4

by area planted

FAOSTAT · reference

Top state

Maharashtra

5.65 MT

DES crop estimates · 2023–24

Crop duration

≈95 days

short-duration kharif

ICAR-IISR · reference

Growing season

Kharif

Jun–Oct

DA&FW · reference

About soybean

Soybean is India's most important kharif oilseed, grown mainly across the central 'soya bowl' of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra since its rapid spread from the 1970s–80s.

Unusually, the crop matters for two products at once: the seed is crushed for edible oil — where India runs a large import bill — and for high-protein soymeal, which feeds the poultry and livestock industry and is also exported.

It is a short-duration, largely rain-fed crop, sown with the monsoon and harvested in autumn, which makes output sensitive to the timing and spread of the rains. India is among the world's top-five producers.

Where it’s grown

Leading producing states

  1. 1Maharashtra5.65 MT
  2. 2Madhya Pradesh5.29 MT
  3. 3Rajasthan1.18 MT
  4. 4Gujarat0.46 MT
  5. 5Karnataka0.45 MT

Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh — India's 'soya bowl' — together grow the bulk of the crop, over 10 MT combined. DES crop estimates, 2023–24.

Ministry of Agriculture crop estimates (DES) · 2023–24

How it’s grown

Season
Kharif
Sowing
June–July (with the monsoon)
Harvest
October–November
Duration
≈90–100 days
Water
Largely rain-fed; monsoon-dependent

Major varieties

JS 335

One of India's most widely grown soybean varieties — high-yielding, matures in ~90–100 days.

JS 95-60

A popular early-maturing variety.

JS 93-05

A widely grown variety with good seed longevity.

JS 80-21

A long-established variety of the central belt.

NRC 37 (Ahilya-4)

A well-known ICAR-IISR release.

JS 335 has long been among India's most widely grown soybean varieties. Notable ICAR-IISR (Indore) releases shown here (not an area-ranked list). ICAR-IISR Indore — soybean varieties.

Economics & trade

Soybean is priced through a Minimum Support Price of ₹5,708 per quintal for 2026–27, up ₹380 from ₹5,328 — though market prices have at times run below the MSP, which makes the support price a ceiling on downside rather than a guaranteed realisation.

What a quintal earns over cost. CACP puts the cost of growing yellow soybean at ₹3,805 per quintal (A2+FL — paid-out expenses plus imputed family labour), leaving about ₹1,903 a quintal at MSP: a margin of exactly 50%, the statutory floor. India's average soybean yield is 985 kg per hectare — about 4 quintals an acre — so an average acre grosses roughly ₹22,800 at MSP against about ₹15,200 of cost, leaving close to ₹7,600, and only if the crop actually sells at MSP, which in soybean it often does not. Soybean is among the lowest-yielding major crops in India: the 2023–24 average fell to 985 kg/ha from 1,145 the year before.

The crop is crushed for edible oil and protein-rich soymeal; India is a major edible-oil importer, so domestic soybean output and prices feed directly into the cooking-oil and poultry-feed economies.

Uses

  • Crushed for edible (soybean) oil.
  • Soymeal — a high-protein feed for poultry and livestock, and a significant export.
  • Soy foods and protein products.
  • A nitrogen-fixing legume useful in crop rotations.

Notable facts

  • Soybean is a legume grown mainly as an oilseed — valued for both its oil and its high-protein meal.
  • Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra form India's 'soya bowl', growing most of the crop.
  • JS 335 has been one of India's most widely grown soybean varieties for decades.
  • Despite being a top-five producer, India is a large net importer of edible oil.

Frequently asked

In which season is soybean grown in India?
Soybean is a kharif crop — sown with the monsoon in June–July and harvested in October–November.
What is the MSP of soybean?
The MSP for yellow soybean is ₹5,708 per quintal for the Kharif Marketing Season 2026–27, approved by the CCEA on 13 May 2026 — up ₹380 from ₹5,328. Market prices have at times traded below the MSP, so the realised price can be lower.
What is the soybean yield per acre in India?
India's average soybean yield is 985 kg per hectare, or about 4 quintals an acre, across 13.25 million hectares in 2023–24. That was down from 1,145 kg/ha the previous year, and soybean remains among the lowest-yielding of India's major crops.
What is the cost of cultivation of soybean per quintal?
CACP puts the cost of producing yellow soybean at ₹3,805 per quintal for 2026–27, covering paid-out expenses plus the imputed value of family labour. Against the ₹5,708 MSP that leaves about ₹1,903 a quintal, a margin of exactly 50%.
Which is the largest soybean-producing state in India?
Maharashtra leads soybean production (about 5.65 MT in 2023–24), closely followed by Madhya Pradesh.
How much soybean does India produce?
India produced about 13.06 million tonnes of soybean in 2023–24 and is among the world's top-five producers.
What is soybean used for?
The seed is crushed for edible oil and high-protein soymeal, which feeds the poultry and livestock industry and is also exported.

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