Indore: Soybean crop has been affected for the third consecutive year in Madhya Pradesh as excessive rain in Satna, Rewa and Bhopal regions will necessitate re-sowing once the water recedes, an agriculture expert said.
Madhya Pradesh is the top producer of soybean in the country and accounts for 53% of its production, according to government statistics.
“Farmers will have to go for re-sowing wherever there has been water logging in fields due to excessive rainfall,” scientist and soybean expert Dr PS Bhatnagar said. The re-sowing, he said, will have an impact on yield as ideal time for sowing the crop is over.
Farmers began sowing soybean in mid-June after the arrival of Southwest monsoon. Though weather has been conducive in southwestern part of the state, experts are concerned over excessive rains in east and north Madhya Pradesh.
Rains are lashing many parts of the state for the last three days. Very heavy rains are likely in Satna, Hoshangabad, Jabalpur, Raisen, Sagar and Damoh districts in the next 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department’s Bhopal director Dr Anupam Kashyapi said.
Bhopal, Narsinghpur, Vidisha and Betul districts are also expected to receive heavy rain.
“The distribution pattern of monsoon is very crucial for the soya crop. The performance of monsoon in the crucial months of July and August will determine the final output,” Bhatnagar said.
Last year, the production was hit by white mosaic (a plant disease) and shortage of water.
Mukund Patidar, a farmer in Rau near Indore, said he has partially switched to ‘tur’ as he did not earn much from soybean last year. While Patidar was lucky to make some profit, many farmers incurred losses as soybean crop was damaged due to erratic monsoon and pest attack. Many farmers are likely to partially shift to growing pulses such as ‘tur’ and ‘urad’ for their high prices.