By Feed India Desk | June 2025
As India’s livestock, dairy, and poultry sectors continue to scale, soybean meal has emerged as a critical protein source—and a strategically vital commodity. The global soybean meal market is poised to grow from $107 billion in 2025 to $136.5 billion by 2029, registering a CAGR of 6.3%, driven by rising demand for protein-rich animal feed, innovations in sustainable sourcing, and increasing adoption of precision feed management technologies.
For India, this trajectory aligns closely with national priorities in achieving self-sufficiency in feed, enhancing dairy productivity, and improving agribusiness competitiveness.
🌱 Soybean Meal: Backbone of India’s Animal Feed Industry
India is home to the world’s largest dairy herd, the third-largest egg producer, and a rapidly expanding poultry and aquaculture sector. Across these, soybean meal (SBM) plays a foundational role, offering high-protein, digestible feed for cows, buffaloes, broilers, and layers.
With Indian soybean meal production hovering around 6–7 million metric tonnes annually, it is a key domestic input for:
- Dairy feed formulations to improve milk yield and animal health
- Broiler starter and finisher diets in poultry
- Aquaculture feed, especially for shrimp and carp species
- Pig and goat farming in the North-East and tribal belts
Yet, fluctuating monsoons, volatility in Minimum Support Prices (MSPs), and limited processing capacities pose supply challenges, prompting feed manufacturers to demand policy clarity on imports, export bans, and nutritional standards.
📈 Global Trade Meets Local Opportunity
Globally, the U.S. remains the largest exporter of soybean meal, with 2023–24 exports expected to exceed 13.9 million MT. While India also exports SBM to Bangladesh, Nepal, and Vietnam during surplus years, recent trends indicate that growing domestic demand is outpacing availability.
Several Indian feed majors, including Godrej Agrovet, Suguna Feeds, Anmol Feeds, and SKM Animal Feeds, are adapting by:
- Blending SBM with alternative proteins like DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles), cottonseed cake, and maize gluten
- Exploring traceable and non-GMO soy sources to cater to premium dairy and organic poultry producers
- Integrating IoT and feed efficiency tools to optimise inclusion rates and reduce feed wastage
🔍 Market Segmentation: What Indian Feed Players Should Watch
According to global reports, the soybean meal market is segmented by:
| Category | India-Relevant Trends |
|---|---|
| Type | Food-grade SBM is growing slowly; feed-grade remains dominant |
| Source | Conventional dominates; organic soy is gaining ground in export-oriented poultry units |
| Form | Powder is most used in dairy and poultry; granular for automated feed mills |
| Channel | B2B offline remains strong; online commodity platforms emerging (eNAM, Agribazaar) |
| Application | ~80% of SBM is consumed by the feed sector in India |
🔁 Sustainability and Traceability: Next Frontiers for Soy in India
Following global trends, companies like Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) have introduced fully traceable soy-based feed ingredients using digital platforms. Similar efforts are being piloted in India by:
- Sustainable Soybean Initiative (in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh)
- FAIRTRADE and FPO-led clusters working on non-GMO soy sourcing
- Digital traceability tools (e.g., FPO blockchains, FBN Gradable) are under evaluation by Indian agri-tech firms
These developments are crucial for premium export segments, such as antibiotic-free poultry, organic ghee, and hormone-free milk, where buyers demand transparency from farm to feedlot.
🌏 Asia-Pacific at the Forefront — and India’s Role
Asia-Pacific led the global soybean meal market in 2024 and is projected to remain the fastest-growing region. India, with its unique mix of growing protein demand, limited arable land, and climate-sensitive farming, is poised to play a pivotal role.
The country must balance three imperatives:
- Feed efficiency to reducethe cost per litre of milk or kg of meat
- Feed resilience against climate shocks and global price swings
- Feed ethics — including traceability, safety, and sustainability
🧭 Conclusion: Feed India, Feed the Future
India’s trajectory in the soybean meal market will be shaped by its ability to scale processing, innovate nutrition strategies, and integrate global sustainability standards. Whether through farmer cooperatives in Vidarbha or feed innovators in Coimbatore, the evolution of SBM is no longer just about protein—it’s about productivity, purpose, and planetary responsibility.
