Executive summary:The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to “consolidate the foundation of food security in an all-round way”. Soybean is not only an important source of feed and edible protein, but also an important raw material of vegetable oil. In recent years, the demand for soybeans in my country has continued to rise. However, due to the large number of people and the lack of land, the limited scale of soybean planting and insufficient production have become a shortcoming of food safety. It is imperative to increase production capacity.
Under the premise of stabilizing grain production, to improve the self-sufficiency of soybeans in my country, we must not only pay attention to expanding the area, but also vigorously increase the yield per unit, so as to achieve a two-pronged approach and coordinated promotion
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to “consolidate the foundation of food security in an all-round way”. Soybean is not only an important source of feed and edible protein, but also an important raw material of vegetable oil. In recent years, the demand for soybeans in my country has continued to rise. However, due to the large number of people and the lack of land, the limited scale of soybean planting and insufficient production have become a shortcoming of food safety. It is imperative to increase production capacity.
This year’s Central No. 1 document proposed to vigorously implement the project to increase the production capacity of soybeans and oilseeds. Under the premise of stabilizing grain production, to improve the self-sufficiency of soybeans in my country, we must not only pay attention to expanding the area, but also vigorously increase the yield per unit, so as to achieve a two-pronged approach and coordinated progress.
The key to tapping the potential of soybean planting area is to properly handle the relationship between soybean and high-yielding crops such as corn. In the two major grain producing areas of Northeast China and Huanghuaihai, it is necessary to do a good job of crop rotation and to coordinate the inter-annual relationship between soybeans and corn. It is recommended to implement soybean-maize crop rotation every other year in the northern Northeast region, and plant soybeans every two or three years in the central and southern regions of the Northeast. Form a rotation of summer soybean and summer corn on the basis of winter wheat every other year or a rotation of one-year soybean and two-year corn. Crop rotation is not only conducive to moderate expansion of soybean planting area, but also can create a good soil environment for cereal crops such as wheat and corn, and improve yield and quality. Promote strip-shaped compound planting according to local conditions, build a compound group for the coordinated development of soybeans and corn and other crops, and increase the yield of one season of soybeans on the premise that corn yields are basically stable.
Judging from the high-yield models that have emerged in various places in recent years, my country’s soybean yield has great potential to increase. In the Heilongjiang agricultural reclamation system, through crop rotation, straw returning, application of new varieties, large-scale planting and standard mechanized operations, the soybean yield per unit has been stabilized at more than 170 kilograms, reaching the advanced level in the world at the same latitude.
In order to mobilize farmers’ enthusiasm for planting beans, the state has implemented industrial support policies such as producer subsidies in Northeast China, which have achieved remarkable results. It is recommended to expand this policy, and combine the links of crop rotation and stubble, band compound planting, promotion of improved varieties, and unified prevention and control to provide physical and chemical technology subsidies. High-yield competitions and technical training should be organized in an organized manner, and the popularization and application of new varieties and technologies should be accelerated. It is necessary to increase financial credit support, expand the coverage of agricultural insurance, and protect the income of soybean farmers. It is necessary to guide appropriate scale operation, cultivate new business entities, realize mechanized operation in the whole process, improve the rate of technical availability and operation efficiency, and ensure that farmers increase production and income.
(The author is a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the chief scientist of the National Soybean Industry Technology System, interviewed and organized by our reporter Chang Qin)
Original title: Expanding production and increasing soybean production capacity (remarks)