March 3 (Bloomberg) -- China, the world's largest soybean buyer, may import a record amount of the oilseed in the year starting October because of growing demand for feed, the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service said.

Imports may rise 3 percent to 36 million metric tons in the 2008-09 marketing year, from an estimated 35 million tons this year, the Beijing office of the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service attache said in a March 1 report on its Web site.

Rising purchases may further bolster soybean prices, which rose to a record today in Chicago because of declining global stockpiles of the oilseed. China's economic growth of more than 10 percent a year since 2003 has stoked demand for meat.

``Total feed production growing in 2007 is estimated at 5 percent and a similar growth is likely in 2008,'' according to the U.S. report.

Soybeans for May delivery rose as much as 28.5 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $15.65 a bushel in after-hours electronic trading on the Chicago Board of Trade, and stood at $15.64 at 12:56 p.m. Singapore time.

China's soybean oil imports may gain 11 percent to 3.1 million tons from the estimated 2.8 million tons, while the country's purchases of palm oil may be unchanged at 5.7 million tons, the U.S. report said.

Total oilseeds to be harvested in 2008-09 may rise 5 percent to 57.2 million tons because of higher prices and more subsidies, the report said. Domestic output of soybeans may increase to 16 million tons from an estimated 14 million tons this year, it said.

Output of rapeseed may rise to 11 million tons from 10.5 million tons, the report said.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Bi in Beijing at wbi@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 3, 2008 01:13 EST