Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Soyabean Processors’ Association of India (SOPA) has strongly condemned the Solvent Extractors Association’s (SEA’s) suggestion to stop soyabean cultivation in India and use the 12 million hectares under soyabean cultivation in the country for sowing other crops. The president of the SEA, in the course of a virtual meeting of the edible oil industry with Union minister Piyush Goyal on February 25, had described diversion of 12 million hectares to soyabean in India as a “criminal waste” because it has only 18% oil and has low productivity, obliquely suggesting use of this land for sowing other crops. The SEA president, while suggesting that India was not deficient in protein, also requested the government to permit import of GM soyameal.
Taking strong exception to the SEA’s suggestion, SOPA chairman Davish Jain described the demand as “dangerous, anti-industry, anti-farmer and against country’s interests” as it would amount to taking the country away from achieving self-reliance. Jain said, “The entire soya industry will be wiped out if soyabean cultivation is stopped and import of GM soyameal is allowed and around 60 lakh farmers will lose a preferred kharif crop, especially in central India, where there are few alternatives to soyabean. This will not only further increase India’s dependence on imports for edible oils, but will also make India dependent on imports for essential protein needs,” he said.
“Given that a large segment of the Indian population suffers from malnutrition due to nutritional imbalance, advising the government to stop soyabean cultivation will also amount to undermining people’s health,” Jain added.
Indian farmers take a minimum of two crops a year with soyabean (which has an average short duration of maturity of 90-95 days during the kharif season) and mostly wheat or gram in the rabi season. Some farmers also take a third vegetable cultivation in between. In Latin and North America, only soyabean with a long duration of maturity of, generally, 135-140 days is sown in a year. So, in totality, Indian farmers produce equivalent quantities in one year despite vast differences in available resources vis-a-vis the Western world. Discouraging cultivation of soyabean will also amount to depriving the Indian people of the most economical source of vital protein with natural purity which is so important for human nutrition. Several members of SOPA and soya processors have also condemned the proposals of the SEA.
