Massive Soybean Imports from Brazil and Argentina into China

29-Dec-2025 05:34 PM

Beijing. China, the world's largest buyer of soybeans, has not imported American oilseeds for several months, yet its crushers and processors are not facing any shortage of raw materials because they are importing large quantities from Latin American countries like Brazil and Argentina.

The harvest of the new soybean crop in the US began in September, and since then, imports to China have ceased.

An agreement on soybean import and export issues was reached between the two countries in late October, but no meaningful results have yet materialized.

On the other hand, China is witnessing a tremendous increase in soybean imports from Brazil and Argentina. In November 2024, China imported 2.29 million tons of soybeans from the US, but in November 2025, not a single ton was imported.

Instead, soybean imports from Brazil increased by 48.5 percent to 5.85 million tons, and imports from Argentina surged by 633.6 percent to 1.78 million tons.

During November 2025, China imported a total of 8.11 million tons of soybeans, with Brazilian oilseeds accounting for 72 percent and Argentine products for approximately 22 percent. The remaining soybeans were imported from other countries.

In the 11 months from January to November 2025, China imported 76.7 million tons of soybeans from Brazil, 6.24 million tons from Argentina, and 10.82 million tons from the US, while total imports surged to an all-time high of 103.79 million tons.