Soybean Cultivation in Pakistan

Soybean is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. It contains 18 to 22 percent oil and is highly desirable in the diet having 40 to 42 percent of good quality protein. Therefore, it is the best source of protein and oil and truly claims the title of the meat/oil that grows on plants. Generally, it is used in the food industry for flour, oil, margarine, cookies, biscuit, candy, milk, vegetable cheese, lecithin and many other products. At present, the United States of America has the largest area under its cultivation. Soybean is also grown in other parts of the world including Brazil, Peoples Republic of China, Argentina, Indonesia, Korea and Japan. In Pakistan, soybean has suffered a setback and has therefore, not been able to attain a respectable position among the oilseed crops. Its cultivation remained limited to a very small acreage and showed a declining trend.

Cultivation Areas: 

Expansion of the area of soybean in those parts of the region which are idle or not used at certain seasons of the year could produce soybean in the country. Thus, there is a large scope to increase the area under this crop

·        Dobari lands in Sindh and the area of Punjab which often lie idle between two summer crops of rice from September/October to May every year for one or the other reason.

·     Cotton fallow areas where no crop is grown between two crops of cotton from December to May.

·      Riverine lands which are flooded during summer from June to September but are dry during the winter from November to May.

·    Dry land (barani) areas which are available in part of summer during the monsoon when moisture is abundant and most of the land is left fallow for wheat sowing in November. This land is available from June to October.

·  Area under fall (septemberber) and spring (March) planted sugarcane is available for intercropping of soybean because short season soybean grow without affecting slow growing sugarcane plants.

Proposed Cropping Pattern:

 Soybean has a vast potential as Spring (Rabi) and Autumn (Kharif) crop cultivation. Throughout the country cotton and rice 8.4 and 2.10 million hectares, respectively and 30 percent of this area remains fallow after each crop which could be brought under soybean plantation. The results of past research revealed that soybean can give reasonable yield in Punjab, Sindh and high yield in the foothill areas of NWFP. In addition, soybean also improves the soil status for ensuring crops of cotton and rice in the irrigated areas of Punjab and Sindh. Soybean is a very successful crop both in irrigated and rain fed areas without clashing any major crop like rice, cotton and wheat. Thus, the area which remains fallow can be utilized effectively.

·         Rice Soybean Rice

·         Cotton Soybean Cotton

·         Wheat Soybean Wheat

·         Wheat-Sorghum / Millet-Fallow-Soybean-Wheat

·         Intercropping soybeans with corn, sorghum, cotton, or sugarcane