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China food security
EconomyChina Economy

China develops new high-protein corn to replace foreign soybeans

The new varieties could be used as a substitute for soybeans in animal feed, reducing China’s grain imports by millions of tonnes

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The US remains a major supplier of soybeans to China, accounting for more than one-fifth of China’s imports of the grain. Photo: AP
Mandy Zuoin Shanghai

Chinese agricultural scientists are developing new strains of protein-rich corn that can serve as a substitute for soybeans in animal feed, a potential game-changer for China’s drive to reduce its reliance on overseas grain.

China has been forced to import soybeans in huge quantities in recent years to fuel its expanding livestock industry, as Chinese consumers adopt an increasingly meat and dairy-heavy diet.
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Beijing sees the growing dependence on foreign agricultural products as a threat to the nation’s food security, as well as a potential issue of contention amid an intensifying trade war with the United States.

Developing higher-protein corn to replace soybeans in animal feed is seen as a potential solution, and researchers at China’s Huazhong Agricultural University have already developed several promising varieties, according to the university’s president.

Given China’s vast corn production, an improvement of just one percentage point in the protein content of the grain could reduce China’s demand for foreign soybeans by up to 8 million tonnes, Yan Jianbing, Huazhong’s president, told reporters during last week’s “two sessions” – the annual meeting of China’s top legislative and consultative bodies.

China has been placing increasing emphasis on food security amid a rise in geopolitical tensions and uncertainties in the international market.

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China’s soybean imports account for about 60 per cent of the world’s total trade volume for the grain, and the US has long been one of the country’s largest suppliers alongside Brazil.

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