Weak soybean production is expected to reduce soybean meal exports

12-Nov-2025 03:36 PM

Indore. India's soybean DOC exports are expected to decline in the current 2025-26 marketing season (October-September) as the domestic industry faces challenges on two fronts.

First, there are clear signs of a decline in domestic soybean production, and second, the implementation of the European Union's Deforestation Regulation is imminent, which could impact soybean meal exports to India's largest foreign market.

While India exported 2.023 million tons of soybean meal in the 2024-25 marketing season, which was considered an encouraging performance, exporters say this could decline sharply in the current 2025-26 marketing season because the export offer price of indigenous soybean meal is relatively high, which will reduce its competitiveness in the global market.

The Executive Director of the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA), a leading industry body, says that price differences and declining production could adversely impact soybean meal exports. Both factors remain a major cause for concern.

There is a strong possibility of a decline in soybean meal exports this season compared to last season.

In the international market, Indian soybean meal is more expensive than products from the United States, Argentina, and Brazil. Meanwhile, Bangladesh is expected to import large quantities of soybean from the United States, which will reduce the need for soybean imports there. Bangladesh is a significant market for Indian soybean meal.

According to SOPA, the export offer price of Indian soybean meal is hovering around $50-60 per tonne higher than other rival exporting countries. SOPA's field survey estimates domestic soybean production to decline by 16.3 percent from 12.587 million tonnes in the 2024-25 season to 10.536 million tonnes in the 2025-26 season.

However, industry analysts' production estimates are even lower. Soybean production in Madhya Pradesh is expected to decline by about 20 percent to 4.456 million tons during the reporting period. Production will also decline in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.