Russia aims to more than double its soybean harvest by 2020 to ensure the country has enough animal feed for livestock, according to its Agriculture Ministry.
The government is targeting an annual output of 3.75 million metric tons, compared to 2011’s 1.7 million metric tons. Russia plans to sow 137,500 more hectares, increasing total land coverage to 1.3 million hectares before reaching 1.5 million hectares in 2013 and 2.5 million hectares in 2020, according to the ministry. The increase will help “to secure protein needs of livestock breeding sector,” said Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik.
