BEIJING, CHINA — China hopes to produce 40% more soybeans by the end of 2025 in an attempt to boost self-sufficiency in the oilseed, Reuters reported.

The nation has set a goal of production of 23 million tonnes of soybeans, compared to production of 16.4 million tonnes currently, according to the 14th five-year plan on crop farming.

China relies on the global market for 85% of its soybeans and it heavily relies on a few countries for its imports. Since 2019, China has set out a plan to revitalize domestic soybean production, Reuters said.

But soybean output fell 16% in 2021 with some farmers opting to plant more profitable crops such as corn.

The five-year plan says China will cultivate land specifically for growing soybeans, expand soybean-corn rotation programs and focus on raising the yield of soybeans.

It also will expand planting and output of other oilseeds such as rapeseed and peanut to meet increasing demand for cooking oil and feed protein.

Rapeseed output will increase 29%, to 18 million tonnes, while peanut production will increase to 19 million tonnes from 17.99 million tonnes.

China also hopes to produce 215 million tonnes of rice, 140 million tonnes of wheat, and 277.5 million tonnes of corn by 2025, up slightly from output levels in 2020.