Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

This study compared the cost and return structure of organic and inorganic soybean production in Parbhani district of Maharashtra during the 2025-26 agricultural year. A purposive comparative farm survey covered Parbhani and Palam tehsils and six villages, with an equal allocation of 60 organic and 60 inorganic soybean growers. Primary data were collected through personal interviews using a pre-tested structured schedule and analysed using Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices cost concepts. Cost C3 was lower under organic farming (₹100,340.09 ha-1) than under inorganic farming (₹105,522.03 ha-1). Inorganic soybean recorded a higher main-product yield (25.67 q ha-1), net return over Cost C2 (₹44,909.43 ha-1), and return per rupee of expenditure at Cost C3 (1.33) than organic soybean (21.97 q ha-1, ₹29,397.11 ha-1, and 1.20, respectively). The average main-product prices received by the two groups were almost identical, indicating that the observed difference in gross income was mainly associated with yield rather than a price premium. Because the sample was purposively selected and the analysis was descriptive, the results represent observed economic differences among the surveyed farms and should not be interpreted as causal effects of production system.