Ujjain Soybean

The sacred land of Ujjain is dotted with ancient temples and is renowned for its history, literature, art and architecture. This former capital of Avanti Kingdom is the divine land of the legendary king Maharajadhiraja Vikramaditya, Mahakavi Kalidasa and others.

Besides the glorious heritage that has been mentioned in countless texts and treatises, Ujjain has in recent years developed a formidable reputation for its excellent agricultural produce. Its famous onion, garlic, chilli, coriander, potato, turmeric, Malwi gehu (wheat) and ginger are in great demand with processing plants to prepare spice powders, masala mix and paste, dry powders, namkeen and papad as well as other value – added products.

According to the data available, Ujjain ranks first in terms of onion and soybean production in the state. Madhya Pradesh in fact is the highest producer of soybean in the country contributing a staggering 70 percent to the total production.

It is estimated that over 10 million hectares of land is under soybean cultivation in Madhya Pradesh alone with an average annual production of over 11.5 million metric tonnes and an average yield of 1.04 metric tonne per hectare. The primary reason for this astronomical increase in production is the pro – farmer incentives and schemes offered by the state and central government.

Small and marginal farmers have benefitted immensely from farming schemes, subsidies, seed management, drip irrigation, organic, natural and zero farming techniques, drone monitoring, regular soil health checks and soil rejuvenation and the newly introduced PM Micro Food Industries Upgradation Scheme.

Farmers prefer to cultivate local and high – yielding varieties like JS – 9305, JS – 335 and JS – 9560 among others. Soybean is a great source of protein and is used in packaged meals, as a protein supplement, cattle feed and others. Soya milk, soya paneer, soya chunks, soya curd, full fat soya grits, soya liquid lecithin, soya cheese, soybean oil and soya flour and bread are hugely popular.

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian