Description: Soybeans belong to the legume family and are native to East Asia. They have been an important protein source in the Orient for over five thousand years. Soybeans have only been introduced to the Western world since the 20th century. Soybeans grow on a variety of soils and a wide range of climates, ranging from tropical Brazil to the snowy island Hokkaido in the north of Japan. As soybeans mature in the pod, they ripen into hard, dry beans. Although most soybeans are yellow, there are also rare varieties which are black, brown or green coloured. A given area of land planted with soybeans can produce much more protein than land planted with other crops, or if the land were used to raise cattle.
Harvest: The harvest season of soya beans extends from September through to December
Locations: Soybean (Glycine Max) is a legume which is produced in the middle belt of the country of which Benue State is the largest producer in Nigeria
Specifications: A good quality Soya beans should have a good natural colour, be free from objectionable odour, contain no live insects, toxins and moulds and be fit for human consumption and should comply with the following requirements:
| QUALITY PARAMETER | GRADES | ||
| | A | B | C |
| Moisture % | 12.0 max | 12.0 max | 12.0 max |
| Extraneous matters % | 1.0 max | 2.0 max | 3.0 max |
| Total other Defective grains of which:% | 9.0 max | 11.5 max | 14.0 max |
| a. Split Beans % | 6.0 max | 8.0 max | 10.0 max |
| b. Green Beans % | 2.0 max | 2.0 max | 2.0 max |
| c. Immature or Shriveled beans % | 1.0 max | 1.5 max | 2.0 max |
| Oil % | 18.0 min | 16.0 min | 14.0 min |
| Protein % | 36.0 min | 33.0 min | 30.0 min |
Uses: Soybean is an important source of high quality and inexpensive protein and oil. With an average protein content of 40% and oil content of 20%, soybean has the highest protein content of all food crops and is second only to groundnuts in terms of oil content amongst food legumes. The oil produced from soybean is highly digestible and contains no cholesterol. Soybean is the largest single source of edible oil and accounts for roughly 50% of the total seed oil production worldwide. Nigeria has only one variety of soybeans which is yellow in colour. Soybeans are used for production of milk, edible oil and animal feeds. It is also useful in the treatment of malnourished children particularly in the sub-Saharan, Asian and Latin American countries
Export market: The export markets for Soya beans include the China, United state, Canada, United Kingdom, India and some other parts of europe.
Export Price: The export market price on FOB terms ranges from USD500-700/MT and sometimes or even more depending on the period during its season.
Local price: The local market price of Soya beans per MT ranges from NGN60,000 to NGN80,00.00 or even more to deliver it to Lagos during the season.
