The area under soybean across the country was at around 11 mln ha. Sowing of the oilseed is underway in many states and in a week, the acreage may exceed the normal for the season–11.3 mln ha, based on the average for the past five years. Higher sowing in key growing areas of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, the top growers, due to normal rains had pulled up the overall area under the crop in the country. In Madhya Pradesh, soybean acreage increased 13% on year to 5.3 mln ha, as planting gained pace due to attractive prices in spot markets.