India’s Soybean Imports Touch Record High 1MT In Current Season. Here’s Why?

India’s soybean imports for the oil year 2025-26 ending in the month of September are likely to be hit an all-time high since they have touched about a million tonnes. Notably, it is driven by a shortfall in domestic supplies of Soybean. Moreover, in the previous year, soybean imports in India stood at a mere 0.02 lakh tonnes.

What did SOPA state for India’s soybean imports?

With rains playing truant and a weak monsoon influencing the current kharif 2026 crop amid a dip in planted soybean area, imports of Soybean are likely to remain high in the new oil year. As per the latest demand-supply estimates by the trade body Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA), soybean imports by country stood at 9.34 lakh tonnes during the October-August period of oil year 2025-26. Including September purchases, total imports of Soybean are likely to top 9.5 lakh tonnes. The previous high in soybean imports was nearly 7 lakh tonnes during 2022-23.

India -fifth-largest producer of soybeans in the world

Notably, India is the fifth-largest producer of soybeans in the world, with cultivation centered heavily in central and western states. The top producer of soybeans, known as the soy capital of India which is Madhya Pradesh. Moreover, the second-largest producer is Maharashtra, which contributes a large share of the Kharif harvest. Significantly, it is grown primarily as a Kharif (rainy season) crop, sown in June–July and harvested in September–October. Besides, Brazil is the world’s largest soybean exporter, supplying roughly 50% of the global market, followed by the United States, Argentina, Canada, and Paraguay. In addition, Brazil, the United States, Argentina, Canada, and Paraguay account for over 93% of international shipments.