A bumper corn harvest could boost supplies in the world's second largest consumer of the grain, whose production growth has fallen short of rising demand over the past three years, turning China into a net importer of corn since 2009.
"Supply of corn seeds in parts of north-east provinces has begun to fall short of demand because farmers have shown strong interest in planting corn," the ministry said after a survey of 500 counties in a report carried on an industry website (www.chinagrain.cn).
The survey data was in line with an earlier Reuters' report based on comments by farmers and analysts.
Acreage under soyabean is likely to fall 11.2 percent this year as many farmers in the north-east provinces of Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia have shifted to growing corn instead of soya, although wheat acreage would stay steady, the report said.
Lower soya output in China, the world's top soya importer, will drive the country to import, since domestic soya is used mainly to make food, such as tofu.
Almost all Chinese crushers depend on soya imports for processing into soyameal, a feed ingredient in demand by the livestock industry.
A survey by the National Bureau of Statistics also expected an increase in corn acreage, but the bureau gave no figures.
Acreage under cotton, of which China is the largest consumer and importer, may fall 4 percent this year from last year, the bureau said, as low returns have spurred Chinese farmers to cut cotton acreage.
The China Cotton Association has said it expects acreage to fall by 16.7 percent.
Domestic prices of cotton fell nearly 40 percent from a record high in early 2011 due to weak demand from the domestic textile industry.
Although domestic prices after September have stabilised thanks to Beijing's stockpiling, rising labour costs have eaten into the profits to be made from growing the fibre.
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