China steps up efforts to strengthen feed and food security
In the first 11 months of 2023, China reduced its use of soybean meal as feedstock by 4.44 million metric tons (MT) compared to the same period last year, a year-over-year decline of 11%, Mintec reported.
This occurred even though total feedstock production nationwide was 286.9 million MT, an increase of 4% y-o-y, the analysts noted.
MARA has unveiled a three-year action plan to reduce the use of raw material imports in animal feed. The measures include exploring alternative protein feed sources, replacing grain with grass, and reducing the proportion of SBM in formulations.
In 2022, the proportion of SBM in animal feed was 14.5%, outlined a Mintec report on the development.
"The plan calls for a reduction of 0.5% each year, which will bring the proportion to less than 13% by 2025. The plan was developed to address food stability concerns, as most of China's soybean imports come from Brazil and the US."
GM crop cultivation
Meanwhile, also in late December, MARA announced the issuance of 85 seed production and operation licenses, including 26 related to genetically modified corn and soybeans, according to a GAIN report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The announcement follows the release of a government crop production amendment in January 2022, incorporating application requirements for GM crops and paving the way for their commercial planting in China, the USDA team said.
However, they cautioned that even if a GM seed production and operation license is obtained, the approved GM corn and soybean varieties can only be planted in government-approved areas, which will limit the scale of planting in 2024.
