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Which state is traditionally the largest producer of soybean in India, often called the 'Soya State'?
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Answer: Option C — Madhya Pradesh
Detailed Solution
Madhya Pradesh has traditionally been the largest producer of soybean in India and is known as the "Soya State" (Soya Pradesh). Maharashtra is a close second and has matched or nearly matched Madhya Pradesh in some recent years. Together, these two states produce most of India's soybean, with Rajasthan a distant third.
Soybean in Madhya Pradesh:
- It is grown mainly on the black soils of the Malwa plateau, in districts such as Ujjain, Indore, Dewas, Dhar, Shajapur and Sehore.
- It is grown as a kharif crop.
Indore is the centre of the soybean industry. The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) is based there, and so is the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research.
About soybean:
Its scientific name is Glycine max. It belongs to the pea family and is classed in India as an oilseed.
Its seeds contain about 40 per cent protein and about 20 per cent oil, making it one of the richest plant sources of protein.
Soybean became a major crop in India only from the 1970s onward. It spread rapidly in central India, where it replaced fallow land in the kharif season.
Uses:
- Soybean oil: one of the main edible oils used in India.
- Soybean meal (de-oiled cake): a protein-rich feed for poultry and livestock, and an important export item.
- Food products: soya chunks, soya milk, tofu and soya flour.
- Industrial products: lecithin, biodiesel, inks and adhesives.
Soybean in the world:
Brazil and the United States are the largest producers of soybean in the world. China is the largest importer.
India is among the top five producers, but its yields are lower than the world average.
Problems:
Low yields because of rain-fed cultivation, erratic monsoons, pests (such as girdle beetle and stem fly), diseases (such as yellow mosaic virus) and limited use of improved seeds.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Rajasthan is the third largest producer, mainly in the Kota and Jhalawar regions of the south-east.
- ✗Karnataka produces some soybean in the north.
- ✗Gujarat grows small amounts of soybean.
Quick tip
Remember: Soybean = Madhya Pradesh ("Soya State", Malwa plateau, Indore), closely followed by Maharashtra; about 40 per cent protein.
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Agriculture in India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Agriculture in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers agriculture in India: cropping seasons (kharif, rabi and zaid), major food and cash crops and their leading producer states, irrigation, the Green, White, Blue and other agricultural revolutions, and allied activities such as animal husbandry and fisheries. Questions usually ask which crop belongs to which season, which state is the largest producer of a crop, and which revolution relates to which product. For example, the White Revolution relates to milk and was led by Verghese Kurien, and the Blue Revolution relates to fisheries. Producer rankings can change from year to year, so check the latest data for those questions. Practise the agriculture in India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.