December 19, 2011
China's Heilongjiang sees 7.5% drop in 2011 soy yield
Soy output in China's Heilongjiang province, the top-producing area, fell 7.5% to 5.42 million tonnes this year, the local statistics bureau said.
Despite the decline, the official figure is still far higher than analysts' estimates of around five million tonnes, as farmers allocated more acreage to corn during planting, encouraged by high prices.
Heilongjiang accounts for about 40% of China's soy production.
China's National Bureau of Statistics has yet to announce 2011 soy output.
However, the state-backed grain research agency, the China National Grain & Oils Information Centre, Wednesday (Dec 14) maintained its domestic soy output estimate at 13.5 million tonnes, down 10.5% on-year.
