SOYBEAN PRODUCTION CIRCUIT: STAGES AND CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The soy production circuit includes all the activities necessary for this legume and its derivatives (oil, milk, flour) to make their way from the production sites to the distribution and sale points. Like any industrial process, this cycle is made up of production, industrial manufacturing, marketing and commercialization activities.

In general, a production circuit is a sequence of stages through which a raw material becomes a product. The first stage of agricultural products involves the production of the raw material.

Soybean cultivation

In the industrial stage, the raw material is transformed into a product. Finally, in the commercial, this product is sold and distributed. Different productive agents participate in each of the stages and the circuit ends when the product is in the hands of the consumer.

With regard to soy, it is a crop belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is believed to have originated in China. In the year 3000 BC it was already considered one of the sacred seeds along with rice, wheat, barley and millet.

Soy is a highly protein food with which a wide variety of food products are produced industrially.

Stages of the soy production circuit

Agricultural stage

The productive circuit of soybeans, in its agricultural stage, begins with the sowing of the seed. Hybrid seeds or self-pollinated seeds are used to obtain a high yield. These species are more resistant to climatic changes and to a great variety of soils.

The former are the product of crosses between varieties of seeds of different characteristics. The latter are obtained through genetic manipulation within the same variety.

To ensure seed growth, farmers use fertilizers. Soybean crops are very demanding of soil nutrients. Sometimes these do not have enough to guarantee the success of the crops. Therefore, they use fertilizers to improve the conditions of these soils.

During the growth period of the plant, irrigation and weed control is applied. The end of this first stage is the harvest. This can be done manually, mechanically and by combined methods. The choice of method depends on the size of the field.

Industrial stage

Soy is a main ingredient in livestock feed. About 75% of the plant is used for forage. This higher percentage is sent for the production of animal feed. A smaller percentage is processed for human consumption.

Human food products include soy milk, soy flour, soy protein, tofu, and others. Soy is also used in many non-food products (industrial items such as soy lecithin, and biodiesel).

After the harvest, the soy production circuit continues with the industrial process. This begins by separating the soybean from the rest of the plant.

Afterwards, the grain is processed to obtain oil and flour. All the processes (both flour and oil) generate other food and non-food products.

Commercial stage

In the final part of the soy production circuit, both the seed and the rest of the products obtained are sold and distributed.

Like all commercial processes, it basically has two markets: the internal and the external (export). A vigorous national and international marketing activity underpins business management.

Characteristics of each stage

The characteristics of the soy production circuit are described below:

Agricultural stage

• Preparation of the land. The objective is to remove the topsoil to the proper depth and facilitate irrigation. Among the most used procedures are plowing, scarification and grading.
• Inoculation of the seed. The procedure consists of impregnation with commercial chemical fixers for atmospheric nitrogen. With this, the developing plant can take the nitrogen it needs from the atmosphere.
• Sowing. The seed is implanted manually or mechanically. Factors such as time of year, depth of planting and planting density must be taken into account.
• Irrigation. There are two types of irrigation: natural (rain) and artificial (rivers, dams, groundwater). The amount of water to use depends on the variety of soybeans planted and the characteristics of the soil.
• Fertilizer application and weed control. Fertilization provides the necessary nutrients for the crop to be successful. On the other hand, weed control provides the means to guarantee that the crop does not have competition for nutrients that affect its evolution.
• Harvest. The operation can be manual or mechanized. You must wait for the optimal moment that appears when the pods change color from green to brown. If this moment is allowed to pass, the pods can spontaneously open and shell.
• Storage It is made in special tanks called silos. One of the properties that must be taken care of the most is the humidity of the product. This is decisive in the following processes.

Industrial stage

• Transportation It is made in vehicles specially equipped to transport cereals.
• Trite. It consists of separating the soybean seed from the rest of the harvested plant. The soybeans are sent to industrial processing. On the other hand, the rest of the plant goes to the production of animal fodder.
• Obtaining virgin oil. The grain is subjected to a preparation (cleaned, broken, shelled and conditioned). The oil is then extracted.
• Obtaining the flour. It is the by-product after oil extraction. It is shaped like flakes. These defatted flakes are subjected to temperature and pressure until they are cooked.
• Obtaining other by-products. This line includes bran and semolina. They are also obtained after oil extraction.

Commercial stage

• Marketing. Available mass media are used to locate potential buyers. This process is repetitive and constant.
• Internal sales. The primary (bulk soy) or processed (oil, flour, milk, and others) is placed in the national market. It is associated with other intermediate operations such as transport and storage.
• External sales (export). It is the operation of sale of the product in places outside the agricultural and industrial area of ​​the producing country. This operation generates foreign exchange. Generally, what is sold is the remainder of the national production after the internal demand is satisfied. This type of sale is subject to conditions of both the selling country and the buyer.

Articles of interest

Yerba mate productive circuit.

Sugar production circuit.

Productive wine circuit.

Cotton production circuit.

Productive milk circuit.

References

1. Morales Matamoros, E. and Villalobos Flores, A. (1983). Marketing of agricultural products. San José: EUNED.
2. Ridner, E. et al. (2006). Soy, nutritional properties and its impact on health. Buenos Aires: Grupo Q SA
3. Ministry of Agroindustry. (2016). Seed market for planting grains in Argentina. Retrieved on February 7, 2018, from agroindustria.gob.ar.
4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (nineteen ninety five). The cultivation of soybeans in the tropics: improvement and production. Rome: FAO.
5. North Carolina Soybean Production Association. (s / f). Uses of Soybeans. Retrieved on February 7, 2018, from agroindustria.gob.ar.
6. Agro info. (s / f). The cultivation of soybeans. Retrieved on February 7, 2018, from infoagro.com.
7. Luna Jiménez, A. (2007). Composition and Processing of Soybeans for Human Consumption. Research and Science, No. 37, pp. 35-44.