India’s soybean production during the 2017/2018 crop year may drop 22 percent from a year ago after a reduction in the planting area and because of a prolonged dry spell in key growing regions. India is likely to produce 9 million tonnes of soybeans during the 2017/18 crop year starting from Oct. 1, down from 11.5 million tonnes in the current year. Farmers have cultivated soybeans on 10.5 million hectares this year, down 8.4 percent from a year ago. This year, a prolonged dry spell in July and August curtailed the crop in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, which account for nearly 85 percent of the country’s total soybean production.