Soybeans planted in Russia by Harbin-based Dongjin Group are being transported back to Heilongjiang province, starting in mid October.

A cargo ship carrying the first batch of harvested soybean arrived at the Fuyuan Port on the morning of Oct 18, after a 10-hour sailing. It marked official operation of the first grain terminal along the Songhua River that runs through the border between China and Russia.

The grain terminal covers an area of 37,000 square meters, including two berths and three bonded warehouses. It has a storage capacity of 100,000 tons and can handle 500,000 tons of cargoes per year. Total investment of the terminal reached 70 million yuan ($10.09 million).

It will mainly be used to handle the soybean planted in Far East region of Russia.

Dongjin Group’s soybean planting area in the Far East, which measures around 450,000 mu (30,000 hectares) this year, is estimated to have a total yield of 80,000 tons.

All the soybeans will be transported by cargo ship via Songhua River to Fuyuan Port.

Planting soybeans in Russia is in line with China’s strategy to guarantee a national supply of soybeans.

Soybeans have been a staple of the Chinese diet since ancient times. Currently, China has a major soybean industry and the industry is set for continued growth. However, nearly 90 percent of the soybeans in the Chinese market are imported.

To reduce reliance on imports, Chinese firms are looking to expand into overseas markets to find new sources of the crop.

Russia has an ideal climate for growing soybeans, making soybeans produced there popular with consumers all around the world.

China has become the largest investor in Russia’s agricultural sector, thanks to investment in the Far East region of the country, surpassing Japan, South Korea and Thailand. This followed the agreement to rent 800,000 mu of land agreed in August, 2017 by Dongjin Group with Russia’s Khabarovsk, expanding its rented area to 1 million mu, which will mainly be used to plant soybeans.

While soybean planting is only a small part of the company’s plan, Dongjin Group has set a goal of establishing a China-Russia cross-border agricultural industrial chain, involving building a modern soybean planting demonstration area in Russia, as well as a soybean processing plant and river port in Fuyuan, Heilongjiang province –– a city that connects Russia’s Khabarovsk through the Heilong River.

The project is scheduled to take three years, with total investment of around 700 million yuan.

A cargo ship carrying soybeans planted in Far East, Russia arrives at Fuyuan Port, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Oct 18. [Photo/MY399.COM]

Soybeans harvested in Far East are being unloaded at the grain terminal of Fuyuan Port, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Oct 18. [Photo/MY399.COM]

Soybeans harvested in Far East are being unloaded at the grain terminal of Fuyuan Port, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Oct 18. [Photo/MY399.COM]