Soyabean

The oil and protein content together account for about 60% of dry soybeans by weight; protein at 40% and oil at 20%. The remainder consists of 35% carbohydrate and about 5% ash. Soybean cultivars comprise approximately 8% seed coat or hull, 90% cotyledons and 2% hypocotyls axis or germ.

Soybeans occur in various sizes, and in several hull or seed coat colors, including black, brown, blue, yellow, and mottled. The hull of the mature bean is hard, water resistant, and protects the cotyledon and hypocotyls (or "germ") from damage. If the seed coat is cracked the seed will not germinate. The scar, visible on the seed coat, is called the hilum (colors include black, brown, buff, gray and yellow) and at one end of the hilum is the micropyle, or small opening in the seed coat which can allow the absorption of water.

Soybean is a species of legume native to Eastern Asia. It is an annual plant that may vary in growth habit and height. It may grow prostrate, not growing higher than 20 cm (7.8 inches), or even stiffly erect up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) in height. The pods, stems, and leaves are covered with fine brown or gray pubescence. The leaves are trifoliate (sometimes with 5 leaflets), and the leaflets are 6-15 cm (2-6 inches) long and 2-7 cm (1-3 inches) broad; they fall before the seeds are mature.

Like corn and some other crops of long domestication, the relationship of the modern soybean to wild-growing species can no longer be traced with any degree of certainty. It is a cultural variety (a cultigen) with a very large number of cultivars. However, it is known that the progenitor of the modern soybean was a vine-like plant, that grew prone on the ground.

Soybeans grow best in areas having hot, damp summer weather but they can be grown under a great variety of climatic conditions. Planting: In the main production areas, soybeans are planted once corn planting is done, usually in May. Growing: The seed germinates and the plant emerges in about two weeks. The rate of growth of the soybean plant depends on the amount of sunlight per day and temperatures. The soybean is a legume. And like other beans, the plant is capable of extracting nitrogen from the air to assist in its own growth. Its deep root system makes soybeans resistant to drought. Eventually, the plant reaches three to five feet in height. Each plant produces 60 to 80 pods, each of which usually contains two to four soybeans. Harvesting: By late August or early September, the lush green color of the soybean plant turns yellow, the soybeans begin to dry and the leaves begin to drop away from the pods. When the leaves have fallen and the moisture of the soybeans has dried to less than 15 percent, grain combines harvest the crop. In India soybeans planted after monsoon rain 15 June to 15 July and harvesting done in month October.

Soybeans are a versatile crop with many uses. But before they can be used in food, feed or industrial products, soybeans must be processed. More than 95 percent of the soybeans processed by solvent-extraction plants. When arriving at the processing plant, the soybeans are checked for quality. The soybeans then are processed to extract the oil and meal. From 100 pounds /M.T. of soybeans, the soybean-crushing process produces 18 pounds/M.T. of soybean oil and 80 pounds /M.T. of soybean meal. There are several steps in the soybean-crushing process: Dehulling: First, the soybeans are cracked and the hull is removed. Soaking: The soybeans then are flaked in special machines and moved to towers or tanks where they are soaked in a chemical solution. This solvent removes about 99 percent of the pure, crude soybean oil from the flake. Refining: The crude soybean oil may be refined further depending on how it is to be used. In the refining process, crude oil can be degummed, bleached, deodorized or hydrogenated with hydrogen gas. In "degumming," the fatty acid content of the oil is neutralized with a caustic acid to produce some products (like soap). The oil also may be "bleached" by treating it with an absorbent clay material before it is "deodorized" through a vacuum steam-distillation process. Toasting and Grinding: After the oil is removed, the soybean flake then is cleaned, toasted and ground to improve its nutritional value. This produces the soybean meal, which consists of 48 percent protein.

Soybeans are found in hundreds of human foods, animal feeds and industrial products. Soybean Oil: About 97 percent of soybean oil is used in a wide range of products for human use, such as: |cooking oils| salad dressings| sandwich spreads | margarine | salad oils| coffee creamer| mayonnaise | shortenings| chocolate coatings | a flour ingredient medicines. Soybean oil also is used in such industrial products as: | printing inks | cosmetics| linoleum | vinyl plastics | paints| caulking| compounds| pesticides| epoxy| glue | protective| coatings| yeast |soaps, shampoos and detergents| rubber .

Soybean Meal: About 98 percent of soybean meal is used as a feed ingredient in mixed rations for poultry, hogs, and beef and dairy cattle. The remainder is used for human food or industrial products. High-protein (48 percent) soybean meal is used as a starter ration and high-performance feed. A lower-protein soybean meal (44 percent) also may be produced by adding the high-fiber hulls for use in bulky feeds, or as a carrier for molasses and other ingredients.

Soybean processor An individual, or a group of two or more individuals working together as a company or firm, whose primary business is the separation of the oil and meal in soybeans. The activities of a processor may also include refining and/or distribution of the oil as well as distribution or further production with soybean meal or soybean protein.

Source : Oilseeds : World Markets and Trade, November, 2007

Mature Beans, Oil and Meal are the traded forms of soyabean and its derivatives- both in the spot as well as in the futures markets. At the international level, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is the most vibrant futures exchange, whose prices serve as a 'reference' to all other soyabean markets across the globe.

The market size of the popularly known 'miracle bean' in India is over Rs 5,000 crore. Production of soyabean in the country has been growing at the rate of 5.57% (over the last ten years). With an annual production of 5.0-5.4 million tons, soyabean constitutes nearly 25% of the country's total oilseed production. Of the total bean produced, 6-7 lakh tons goes for direct consumption in the form of 'bean' itself (sowing, human consumption, etc.), leaving the rest of the quantity for crushing- for meal and oil. While the country imports soyabean oil, it is a leading exporter of meal in the Asian region.

Madhya Pradesh is the soyabean bowl of India, contributing 80% of the country's soyabean production, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat also produce the bean in small quantities.

In India, soyabean is purely a Kharif crop, whose sowing begins by end-June with the arrival of south-west monsoon. The crop, which is ready for harvest by the end of September, starts entering the market from October onwards. Crushing for oil and meal starts from October, peaking during the subsequent two-three months.

While the ready availability of bean is restricted only to the six-month period of October-March, its consumption in the form of oil and meal is spread throughout the year. The domestic production of 5.0-5.4 million tons is not sufficient to cater to the edible oil requirement of the country. Hence, soyabean export from India is not allowed. At the same time, bean imports are also not allowed so as to encourage domestic production. Indore, Ujjain, Dewas and Astha in Madhya Pradesh and Sangli in Maharashtra are the major trading centers (spot markets) of soyabean. Average prices of soyabean in the spot market of Indore have been around Rs 1450/- in oct.&2700/- above in july 08.

Of the total quantity produced during a marketing year, only 22-25% arrives at the mandis (regulated spot markets); the processors directly purchase the rest from the farm gates. The seasonal nature of the production of the commodity against its requirement throughout the year, its close link with its widely consumed derivatives (oil and meal), the nature of the existing supply and value chain, and the industry characteristic of being influenced by the international and regional livestock (especially poultry) and edible oil sectors provides tremendous opportunity for 'trade' in this commodity. The opportunity is further enhanced by the seasonal fluctuation in prices of soyabean and the influence of the vibrant international soy oil and meal markets on the daily price movement of bean.

SOYABEAN PRODUCTION BY STATE 2007 - 2008

All India Statement Area coverage yield and estimates of yield of soybean during Kharif 2007.

Soybean sold by farmer in govt. market yard – MANDI to trader or to producer eye pass by auction. Some trader or producer now open CHOPAL for purchase. Future trade also available at Nbot, Cbot, Ncdex, Mcx. Future trade & plant for purchase on quality condition.

Quality specification

Free from non-edible seeds such as Mahua, Castor and Neem and any toxic substances. Should be free from any foul odour.