Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Madhya Pradesh Paddy Output May Fall as Soybean Harvest Booms
Farmers in Madhya Pradesh may grow less paddy this year.
Paddy needs more water than some other crops.
Because of concerns about El Niño and water shortages, many farmers planted maize and soybean instead.
The government also encouraged this change.
Soybean may have a very large harvest because the weather has been suitable.
Parts of the Malwa region have received very little rain.
Ujjain, Sehore and Harda are facing drought-like conditions, and some tube wells have dried up.
This could make growing wheat harder later.
Recent figures showed that paddy and maize production increased in 2025-26, while soybean production had previously declined.
Paddy production in Madhya Pradesh is expected to decline as farmers shift to maize and soybean.
The government encouraged farmers to choose less water-intensive crops amid El Niño concerns.
Soybean production is projected to be bumper because of suitable climatic conditions and lower rainfall in Malwa.
Ujjain, Sehore and Harda reportedly face drought-like conditions, with tube wells running dry.
Paddy and maize production increased in 2025-26, while soybean output had fallen in previous years.
- Who
- Farmers in Madhya Pradesh, with comments from Bharatiya Kisan Sangh leader Kamal Singh Anjana.
- What
- Paddy output is expected to fall, while soybean production is forecast to be bumper.
- When
- This year; the article also cites production data for 2024-25 and 2025-26.
- Where
- Madhya Pradesh, particularly the Malwa region and the districts of Ujjain, Sehore and Harda.
- Why
- Farmers shifted away from paddy because of concerns about El Niño and limited water, while soybean benefited from suitable climatic conditions.
- Paddy output, 2024-25
- Estimated at 136 metric tonnes, according to agriculture department data cited in the article.
- Paddy output, 2025-26
- Estimated at 149.71 metric tonnes.
- Maize output, 2024-25
- 69.36 lakh metric tonnes.
- Maize output, 2025-26
- 90.75 lakh metric tonnes.
- Soybean output, 2024-25
- 66.24 lakh metric tonnes.
- Soybean output, 2025-26
- 59.40 lakh metric tonnes.
- Water conditions
- Malwa has experienced low rainfall, while tube wells have reportedly run out of water in some areas.