Current trends in soybean cultivation in Russia

We monitored soybean cultivation in Russia and its regions using statistical data on gross yield, structure of agriculture and crop yield for 22 years (from 2000 to 2021). The purpose of the work was to analyze the current trends in soybean cultivation in the Russian Federation, to identify the main regions providing the highest soybean production, to forecast the development of crop yields in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The article takes a comprehensive look at growth trends in seven major regions that produce up to 96% of the country’s gross soybean harvest. We found that, on average over 22 years, the leaders in soybean production in Russia were the Amur Oblast (38%), Krasnodar Krai (16.1%) and Primorsky Krai (12.5%). The largest areas of cultivation were in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, where over 22 years the figure varied from 33 to 93%. At present, soybean is cultivated almost continuously in this region. The soybean planting acreage of more than 50% of the total sown area in recent years is recorded in the Amur Oblast (74.4%), Primorsky Krai (62.6%) and Khabarovsk Krai (54.1%). This may have a negative impact on further crop yields. We conducted a mathematical evaluation of yield changes, which allows forecasting its change if the current trends of crop cultivation are maintained. The highest crop yield for 22 years was recorded in Krasnodar Krai. Mathematical analysis of yields in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts showed a progressive tendency to increase. In recent years, due to the heightened interest in soybean and its high profitability, the area of its cultivation is expanding. Thus, soybean production in the Russian Federation currently has a great prospect for growth, as the potential opportunities of soybeans remain unrealized.