China suspends imports of Brazilian soybeans from 5 companies for two months

China’s suspension of Brazilian soybean exports from five companies earlier this month due to poor quality will last for two months. A senior Brazilian agriculture official told Reuters on Friday.

China suspended imports from the five companies on January 8 and 14 after the shipments did not meet Chinese import standards. The five suspended units are part of operations that account for more than 30% of the more than 73 million tons of soybeans Brazil exported to China in 2024. However, imports from other units of the same companies were not suspended.

The Ministry of Agriculture is investigating the issue and will send explanations to China in due course, Luiz Rua, Minister of Trade and International Relations at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Reuters.

Rua did not know the number of shipments or their origin, but said it was only a small volume.

He said the five units were only a fraction of the 1,700 Brazilian companies that were allowed to export soybeans to China.

Brazil’s soybean exports are expected to grow rapidly in the coming weeks as more of the harvest is moved to market. Brazil sells about three quarters of its soybean exports to China.

According to Anec, a Brazilian association representing global grain traders, companies affected by the suspension met with government officials in Brasilia on Thursday. Anec declined to name the companies or provide further details.

The five companies whose units have been suspended are international traders Cargill, ADM and Olam, as well as Brazilian companies C.Vale and Terra Roxa. Cargill and ADM did not comment on the meeting. Terra Roxa declined to comment.

The temporary suspension affected only one of C.Vale’s units, a C.Vale spokesman said, adding that other units could continue exporting.

The soybeans were likely exported from the port of Paranagua, given the shippers involved, one trader said.

The Paranagua port authority said it had not received any official reports that any ship that sailed from Paranagua was under suspicion in Chinese ports.

Tags: restrictions, China, Brazil, soybean