The Indian soybeans industry and farmers are affected by the Soybean imports from Africa.
About 40,000 tonnes in last six months has been shipped in India which was 20,000 tonnes last year. With a production of about 114 lakh tonnes in this year, India has a very good Soybean crop this year and because the prices are going on falling, the farmers may get hit.
As per industry experts, these deliveries have been sent at no duty as per rewards that are given to least developed countries. The present plant quarantine rules not following these.
D N Pathak who is the executive director of Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) said that the issue has been noticed by the government through the association.
On these imports which are not legal even after the industry association’s requests, the government has not taken any action and in compared to last year, the imports this year have been much higher.
Even then imports are happening, so India soybean crop is enough to export. These import shipments are bought by the private traders.
To put forward the problem of the Soybean farmers and industry, SOPA had sent its team to the ministry. From many countries, Soybean is being brought into India and the union wanted to know if these have been legally cleared with any detailed permission or are illegal.
Against such imports like sealing the shipments, SOPA on behalf of the industry has urged the government to take some step and declaring the imports illegal and not allowed.
Against these imports, the farmers from Madhya Pradesh are protesting and Maharashtra farmers also getting hit by imports as after the demonetization of the higher value currency notes by the government last month soybean prices have fallen excessively and to sell their crops at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), farmers are left with no option.
This year the country had a good monsoon and the Soybean production in India is forecasted to reach 114.91 lakh tonnes which were only 70 lakh tonnes last year, reported by SOPA.
