Soybean imports to jump by 2024

China's imports of soybeans will continue to grow in the coming decade because of limited farmland and a rising population.

An official report on Monday showed that China, the world's largest soybean importer, is forecast to import 82.66 million metric tons of soybeans by 2024, up 15.8 percent from 2014. At the same time, consumption of soybeans will rise 12.7 percent in 2015 to 96.71 million tons by 2024, according to the China Agriculture Outlook 2015-24.

Experts said that limited farmland and a rising population would force China to seek more soybean imports from Brazil, Argentina and the United States.