France Bets on More Protein Crops to Cut Reliance on Soy Imports
- Nation to expand protein crop area by 40% in next three years
- There are concerns over imported soy’s link to deforestation
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France plans to boost output of high-protein crops to cut its reliance on soybean imports amid a push toward self-sufficiency and concerns about the crop’s links to deforestation.
The European Union’s top agricultural producer aims to expand plantings of crops from soy to fava beans by 40% over the next three years and double acreage in the next decade, Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said Tuesday. The nation will spend at least 100 million euros ($120 million) on research, beefing up handling and storage and encouraging farmers to sow more of those crops.