Indian soyameal exporters eye big sales in October

India's soyameal exports are expected to pick up after a slow start with countries like Japan showing keen interest in the meal because it is non-genetically modified, a leading exporter said on Monday.
India is a key soyameal exporter in the Asian region, traditionally selling to countries like South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan.
"One can estimate about 100,000 tonnes of soyameal sales booked from the new crop so far and in the first week of October bigger sales are on the anvil," Dervish Janis, managing director of the Indoor-based Prestige Group, told Reuters in an interview.
Janis said Japan was keen to pick up more Indian soyameal because of its natural purity. "The volume of exports for Japanese markets could be doubled or trebled from this year's 250,000-300,000 tonnes if right efforts are made to meet their requirements."
"There is demand from Japan for non-GMO soyameal. India produces this kind of soyameal and does not allow GM seeds." India normally contracts for more than 300,000 tonnes of meal sales by this time.
India grows non-GMO soyabeans as the country has allowed production of only transonic cotton.
Several state-owned farm institutes, private seed companies and agriculture universities are conducting trials on genetically modified seeds like mustard, rice, potatoes, brinjals and tobacco.
These seeds are in various stages of development. The worth of biotech grains is debated world-wide, with advocates saying they could lead to a more secure future for food while critics say they could produce new toxins and allergens.
Exports this year have been slow with traders still assessing the volume of the soyabeans crop after delayed sowing because of the late onset of monsoon rains in June and a virtually dry August. The crop was saved because of late rains in September.
Total sales during the New Year beginning November are expected to be close to this year's level of 2 million tonnes because of an increase in domestic consumption.
"Consumption of soyameal in the domestic market has been increasing because of good demand from the poultry industry." The central state of Madly Prudish is the hub of the soyabeans trade.
The western state of Maharashtra and Rajasthan also grow soyabeans. India produces about 4.5 million tonnes of soyameal a year and exports around 2 to 2.5 million tonnes.