HANOI, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will have to import more maize and soya beans to serve production of animal feeds in the coming years, according to a local agriculture agency on Monday.

    Vietnam, home to some one million hectares of maize, needs nearly 4.5 million tons of maize for animal feed production this year, but the country can produce only 3.8 million tons of the material, said the Animal Husbandry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Vietnam is predicted to import 672,000 tons of maize in 2008, 741,000 tons in 2010, some 912,000 tons in 2015, and over one million tons in 2020.

    The country will also have to import bigger amount of soya beans in the coming years, the department said.