Thursday's announcement came after China released its first policy statement of the year earlier in the week, which highlighted a plan to boost domestic soyabean production. The pledges come as Beijing remains entangled in an on-off trade war with the United States, its second largest supplier of soyabeans.
Beijing has been seeking ways to reduce its reliance on US soyabeans, although the two sides have recently been in talks aimed at ending the trade dispute. Beijing will further raise subsidies for soyabean farmers in northern China to help expand acreage in the region, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in the announcement on its website.
China also plans to develop and promote new varieties of soyabeans with high yields of oil and protein. The nation mainly uses soyabeans to make soyameal, an animal feed ingredient. Despite the push on domestic production, agriculture minister Han Changfu said on Wednesday that China would still rely on imports for soyabean supplies.
Beijing also plans to expand rapeseed production around the Yangtze river and peanut planting in parts of northern China, according to Thursday's announcement. China aims to keep its cotton acreage at 3.33 million hectares and sugar planting at about 1.53 million hectares in 2019, the document showed.