India soybean acreage likely to top 8 mln hectares

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian soybean cultivation is likely to exceed 8 million hectares (19.8 million acres) in the current sowing season pushing expectations of a better crop this year, a trade body official said.

The increase in area is about 4 percent higher than last year's total area under soybean cultivation of 7.7 million hectare.

"We feel it (soybean sowing) should be crossing 8 million hectare this year," said Rajesh Agrawal, spokesman for Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA).

SOPA represents soybean processors, farmers, exporters and brokers in India.

As per the government figures released on July 27, soybean sowing has so far been done over 7.8 million hectare.

"So far the weather condition is okay and we feel the crop condition is alright. Hopefully the productivity also should rise but that assessment will be done at a later stage," Agrawal said.