China's top soy area may see lower acreage

Heilongjiang, China's largest soy producing area, is likely to plant less of the oilseed this year while a lower-than-normal temperature this month will delay planting by about 10 days to early May, according to local officials.

Farmers will shift to grow more corn and rice instead, it said, adding that corn acreage in the province, which is in the northeast of China, is set to see a 3% increase to five million hectares.

Chilly weather coupled with snow early in the month made it difficult for the farmers to plant, Wang Xiaoyu with the Heilongjiang Soy Association said, adding planting will be delayed by about 10 days.

However, soy acreage may not fall that much as some farmers, due to low temperature, will have to plant soy instead of wheat and corn, he said.

Falling domestic production coupled with a rise in demand for animal protein have contributed to a surge in China's soy imports over the past years. China, the world's top soy importer, is likely to import a record 44 million tonnes in the year ending September, according to a forecast by CNGOIC.