China demands meat, global agribusiness wins

Global agribusiness will boom over the next decade. That’s partly because China’s grain and meat imports are set to double by 2022, says a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Read: Canadian agriculture to post strong 2013 growth

Financial Times has reported China is already the world’s largest importer of soyabeans, given “the new middle class is leading the change in food consumption habits, in particular a growing appetite for meat.”

It turns out soyabeans are widely used as feed for the meat industry. The problem, adds FT, is China has scarce farmland and waters, which has put stress on its agricultural sector. Read more.

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