Cargill’s CEO said he didn’t think the feed industry of China which dramatically increased its grain purchases will become self-sufficient.

China’s feed grain industry is unlikely to become self-sufficient despite the country’s efforts to ramp up domestic production, David MacLennan, chief executive of Cargill Inc said on June 4 at the National Grain and Feed Association annual convention. Tightening domestic supplies of feed grains and soaring demand from China’s pork producers has triggered record feed grain import purchases this year. The surge in import demand has come despite directives by Beijing to boost domestic grain output and reformulate pig and poultry feed rations to reduce reliance on imported corn and soy. “I think they realize comparative advantage ... Grow and produce what fits your climate, your natural resources, your soil, your water supply," MacLennan said. "They don’t have it the way we, Brazil, and Australia do; they need to depend on trade.”