Honey bee collecting nectar and pollen from oilseed flower in Shifang county, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province File photo: VCG

China will expand oilseed crop output with firm measures to ensure grain security, vice premier Hu Chunhua said during a teleconference on Friday.

Hu emphasized the need to take firm measures to increase the soybean planting area and expand production of other forms of oil crops, following policies laid out by China’s central leadership.

Hu noted that multiple measures should be taken to increase soybean production, including speeding up the restoration of soybean acreage in northeast China, vigorously promoting intercropping of soybeans with corn, and reaching new breakthroughs in agricultural science and technological innovation.

He also emphasized that efforts should be made to expand rapeseed production, accelerate the development and utilization of idle winter fields, and raise the level of mechanization in planting.

Efforts will also be made to promote the steady growth of peanut production, strengthen land use and financial support for camellia oil production and boost the output of low-yield camellia oil forests, Hu said.