Walid Battal
In order to meet an increasingly growing demand for soybeans, China is seeking to reduce its dependence by accelerating its local production.
The country is actively working to reduce its dependence on soybean imports, with the aim of achieving some self-sufficiency by 2030. Currently, this Asian country relies heavily on imported soybeans, mainly for animal feed and agroforestry. China aims to increase its local soybean production to 23 million tons by 2025, an increase of 40%. This will eventually limit imports and support Chinese food security. However, this complete self-sufficiency remains difficult to achieve in the immediate future, taking into account the strong national demand.
Alongside Brazil, the United States and Argentina, China is the world’s largest importer of soybeans (allocating 60% to animal feed), and among the world’s 5 largest producers. Indeed, even if the country produces soybeans on a mass scale (about 20 million tons annually), it is unable to meet a growing national demand.
In 2023, the country announced its goal of achieving partial self-sufficiency in soybeans, in order to secure its supplies in the face of geopolitical tensions and global price fluctuations. The Chinese government aims to increase domestic soybean production to 23 million tons by 2025, up from about 16 million tons in 2022. To this end, the country has recently put in place several ambitious strategies. Among these action plans are subsidies and incentive policies for Chinese farmers, which will boost soybean cultivation in the northern provinces.
In addition, the Asian country is also aiming for self-sufficiency in grains and oilseeds by 2030.