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Vegetable Soybean Variety - Swarna Vasundhara: An opportunity for Agri-business
The Vegetable Soybean is an important leguminous vegetable whose green pods are harvested when the seeds fill 80% to 90 % of the pod width. It differs from the grain soybeans in respect of their large-sized seeds, higher levels of sugars, more than 75% 2-and 3-seeded pods, grey pubescence, and bright green pod and seed coat color.
The Swarna Vasundhara, an improved variety of vegetable soybean has been developed at ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand, and released by the CVRC for commercial cultivation in India. The green pods become ready for the first harvest in 70 to 75 days after sowing with 50% to 55% recovery of shelled bright green beans. There are three pickings in crop duration of 80 to 85 days. It is an excellent source of digestible proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, essential fatty acids, phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, thiamine, riboflavin, Vitamin - E, dietary fiber, and sugar. The shelled green beans are used as tasty cooked vegetables and the mature dry seeds are used for making value-added products. Owing to the high nutritional value, the variety was introduced in Jharkhand and other states of India to provide nutritional and livelihood security among the farmers.
A Pune-based Agri-preneur, Shri Chandrakant Deshmukh took 50 kg of Swarna Vasundhara seed from the ICAR, Plandu in 2019 which he multiplied for area expansion. In 2020, he cultivated Swarna Vasundhara in 10 acres in black cotton soil of Warpud Village at Parbhani Taluka in Maharashtra at a spacing of 60 cm x 15 cm under a sprinkler irrigation system. He harvested 15q graded (2-&3-seeded) green pods per acre. Economics of cultivation of vegetable soybean variety Swarna Vasundhara per acre is as follows:
Cost of Cultivation: ₹30,000/- (including lease value of land, land preparation, manure and fertilizer, irrigation, intercultural operations, pesticides, harvesting, etc.).
Gross Income: ₹ 3,00,000/- (Yield of Green Pods: 15q, Market Rate: ₹200/- per kg).
Net Income: ₹ 2,70,000/-.
For the blanching process, the cleaned green pods are kept in hot water (90 °C) for 5 minutes followed by immediately dipping the blanched pods in cold water (4 °C) for 5 minutes to maintain the original color and texture. Further, these pods are dipped in normal water for 5 minutes before being stored in a deep freezer.
Shri Deshmukh stored blanched green pods at -18 °C for staggered marketing. The pods can be stored upto 18 months. The blanched and frozen 2-&3-seeded green pods are being sold @₹300/kg. He is sending the frozen pods to Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad as per the market demand. The shelled green seeds of one-seeded pods are being sold @₹400/kg after blanching. It is consumed with salt.
He harvested dry mature seeds @ 7q/acre which is being sold @₹100 to 150/kg. He is also making Tofu (Soy Paneer) from dry mature seed. One kg seed yielded 2.25 kg tofu. Tofu of Swarna Vasundhara is attractive white-colored, soft (spongy) textured, without beany flavor and is in great demand in Maharashtra. The Swarna Vasundhara tofu is being sold @₹300/kg. The cost of making 225 kg soy paneer from 1q grain of Swarna Vasundhara is ₹13,000/-. The net profit from sale of 225 kg soy paneer is ₹54,500/-. The roasted grains are also being used to make high-quality sattu (flour).
The grains are consumed as nutritious food after soaking in water for 8 hours. Many other products like soy curd, chhena, gulab jamun sweets, ice-creams, etc., are also being prepared from Swarna Vasundhara grains. Its value-added products are highly remunerative and provide a golden opportunity for setting-up enterprises.
(Source: ICAR-Research Centre for Eastern Region, FSRCHPR, Ranchi, Jharkhand)
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