The Hindu Business Line : Soyabean meal exports cross Rs 4,000-cr mark

According to Mr Rajesh Agarwal, Coordinator of the Indore-based Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA), total soyabean meal exports for the just ended financial year amounted to 41,96,295 tonnes, which was 20.07 per cent higher than the 34,94,860 tonnes of 2005-06.

In value terms, too, exports scaled the Rs 4,000 crore level to touch a record Rs 4,070 crore.

However, on a seasonal basis (October-September), soyabean meal exports during 2006-07 (till March 2007) stood at 27,62,268 tonnes, which was hardly 0.47 per cent more than the 27,49,266 tonnes of October-March 2005-06.

In fact, exports in March 2007, at 5,65,946 tonnes, were 20.39 per cent lower than the 7,10,859 tonnes of March 2006.

"We expect the total exports during the current season to end up at 37 lakh tonnes, which is below the 41.83 lakh tonnes of 2005-06 (October-September)", Mr Agarwal told Business Line, while attributing the decline to the pick-up in domestic consumption.

"Last season, the bird flu epidemic had led to lower consumption from the poultry sector.

"This time, the demand has gone up and to that extent, there is less exportable surplus.

"Moreover, in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 financial years, there were carryover stocks from earlier seasons, which no longer exists," he noted.

Domestic soyabean meal consumption is annually estimated now at around two million tonnes, of which 1.8-1.9 million tonnes is accounted by the poultry feed sector, with the rest going for food purposes (soya-flour, nuggets and other extruded products).

Consumption

"Till the late 90s, barely 5-6 lakh tonnes of soya meal was being consumed at home. But in the last few years, the demand from the poultry segment has shot up because of high prices of fish meal and also the realisation about soyabean being a better source of protein.

"Our challenge really is to push up production of soyabean, so that we can meet demand for both exports and local consumption", he added.

Mr Agarwal expressed hope that the good prices (Rs 1,100-1,200 per quintal, against the minimum support price of Rs 1,020) received by farmers during the previous harvesting season would encourage them to plant more in the coming kharif season.

The Agriculture Ministry has estimated the 2006-07 crop at an all-time-high 8.67 million tonnes, which is much higher than the 7.15 million tonnes assessed by the SOPA.

Soyabean meal or extractions make up 82 per cent of the seed that is crushed, with oil constituting the remaining 18 per cent.

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