Industry worried over potential decline in soybean meal exports

13-Nov-2025 11:36 AM

Indore. The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA), a leading industry organization, has projected domestic production of soybean, a key Kharif oilseed crop, to decline by 16.3 percent, or 20.51 lakh tonnes, from 125.87 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 season to 105.36 lakh tonnes in the current marketing season of 2025-26, which could lead to a decline in soybean production and stocks.

Despite the decline in production, the domestic market price of soybean is trading well below the government support price, and soybean meal prices are also not seeing much increase due to weak domestic and export demand.

Despite this, the export offer price of Indian soybean DOC remains largely uncompetitive compared to top exporting countries like Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. According to available data, India exported a robust 2.023 million tons of soymeal during the 2024-25 marketing season (October-September),

while exports are expected to decline sharply in the current 2025-26 season. The export offer price of Indian soymeal is still higher than other exporting countries, at $50-60 per ton. 

The Indian soybean processing industry is also facing growing concerns on the domestic front due to the rapidly increasing use of Distillers' Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), produced from grains, especially maize, in animal feed and poultry feed manufacturing.

This is likely to impact domestic demand and consumption of soymeal. Consequently, the industry may face significant difficulties due to reduced consumption of soybean meal in the domestic and global markets.