New measures to address lack of soybean self sufficiency

In an effort to increase the output of soybeans and other oilseeds, China will be taking multiple measures. This includes improving subsidies for farmers, guiding farmers in Northeast China to plant more soybeans, and promoting soybean-corn intercropping technology, as explained in this year's No.1 central document.

Soybeans are one of the few grains for which China relies heavily on imports, with a reported self-sufficiency rate of less than 20 percent, making it an urgent issue which needs addressing, to both safeguard food security and address vulnerabilities owing to the impact of the pandemic, affected food supply chains and rising geopolitical tensions.

China is determined to address these structural issues and 'beef up' its domestic production of soybeans and oilseeds. In a press briefing of China's cabinet with a focus on the No.1 document, the State Council, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian stressed that the country is aiming for a "significant rise" in self-sufficiency of soybeans and oilseeds production within the next five to 10 years.

The document – an annual agricultural and rural policy blueprint – looks to expand the output of soybeans and other oilseeds – which will be key to "firmly holding the bottom line of guaranteeing China's grain security."

Authorities will improve subsidies for soybean and corn producers, as well as support proper rotation between soybeans and corn to encourage farmers to plant more soybeans in the spring period. It will also be encouraging farmers to plant sobybeans on arable land unsuitable for rice.

A third measure is actively facilitating soybean-corn intercropping, which plants two lines of corn and four lines of soybeans on farmland to ensure stable output of both. Intercropping technology has already been tested on approximately 466,000 hectares of farmland and will be applied in suitable areas of the Huang-Huai-Hai region.

China's total soybean planting area in 2021 was 126 million mu, a 22 million decrease from 2020. This decline is attributed to farmers' preference for corn, a more lucrative production with a high level of mechanisation.

China is the largest soybean importer and consumer, importing more than 90 million tons of soybeans in 2021, with a volume of over 100 million tons in 2020. Major sources of these imports are the US, Brazil and Argentina.

The Global Miller
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