(CRI English)
Updated: 2008-01-13 14:02

The Chinese government has set national goals for oilseed production in 2008, and expects to increase the supply of edible vegetable oil through enlarging farmland for these crops by more than five percent compared to last year.

Oilseeds are those grain crops that are also valuable for the oil content they produce.

The Ministry of Agriculture said other measures will also be applied to meet this goal. The central government will continue its financial input into this class of agricultural product and farmers are to be encouraged to plant high-quality oilseeds, which can be used for both vegetable oil, and for other food.

This farmer in Huangmei County, in the central province of Hubei says he and his colleagues have made a good profit from planting rapeseed, one of the main oilseeds in China.

"Here in the county, almost every family has business in planting rapeseed, which are good in quality and taste. We are very confident about its sales performance on the market."

Meanwhile, the government will also encourage the planting and production of other oilseeds, such as sesame and sun flowers, to fill the current gap between demand and supply on the market.

The aim is to raise domestic oilseed production to 50 percent of the total amount this year, thereby reducing the proportion of imported oilseeds.