China has returned to large-scale purchases of US soybeans

Combined soybean exports from the US and Brazil to China in January-April 2026 increased by 3.5 million tonnes (+10%) compared to the same period last year, reaching a record 37 million tonnes, significantly exceeding the average for the same period over the past five years (32.9 million tonnes), according to Oil World (Germany).

Following purchasing agreements reached in late 2025, China increased its share of US soybean imports to 55%, compared to 41% in January-April 2025. At the same time, the share of Brazilian soybeans in China’s imports decreased from 74% to 69%.

Specifically, US soybean exports increased to 3.05 million tonnes in April (2.18 million tonnes in April 2025), of which 1.56 million tonnes (0.54 million tonnes) were shipped to China. Since the beginning of the MY 2025/26, the United States has shipped 34.04 million tonnes of soybeans, compared to 44.08 million tonnes in September-April 2024/25, of which 10.78 million tonnes (22.49 million tonnes) went to China.

Brazil’s soybean exports in April reached a historic high of 16.75 million tonnes (+2.2 million tonnes monthly; +1.5 million tonnes compared to the April 2025 level).

Shipments also increased to Turkey (+0.28 million tonnes), the EU (+0.24 million tonnes), and North Africa.

Tags: China, Brazil, soybean, USA