Chinese farmers are going to Russia to grow soybeans for sale in their home market as China increases imports from its northern neighbor amid a worsening trade war with the U.S.
The farmers’ foray into Russia reflects how China is broadening its soybean supply to feed its mammoth appetite now that it has curtailed imports from the U.S., one of its top sources of the oilseed. China, the world’s top soybean importer, consumes an average of 110 million tons of soybeans a year, but only produces around 16 million tons domestically, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.