BEIJING — A soybean harvest in South America and rising planting area in China will help secure the country’s soybean supply, an agriculture official said on June 26.

China’s soybean planting area is expected to exceed 130 million mu (about 8.7 million hectares) this year, up by more than 10 million mu from last year and marking an increase for the fourth consecutive year, Pan Wenbo, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said at a press conference.

The country endeavored to maintain certain level of self-sufficiency, while ensuring the complementarity between domestic output and imports, Pan said.

To ensure sufficient supply of soybeans, the country announced a plan to encourage soybean farming early this year.

Under the plan, China is aimed at raising the nationwide soybean planting area to 140 million mu by 2020, while its average yield per mu is expected to reach 135 kg.