China’s May soybean imports from Brazil surge 37.4% year-on-year

In May 2025, China, the world’s largest soybean buyer, increased its soybean imports from Brazil by 37.4% compared to the previous year, capitalizing on South America’s bumper crop. Data from China’s General Administration of Customs, released on June 20, confirms this trend.

China imported 12.11 mln tons of soybeans from Brazil in May, a significant rise from 8.81 mln tons in May 2024. Imports from the United States also grew by 28.3%, reaching 1.63 mln tons compared to 1.27 mln tons a year earlier, accounting for 11.7% of China’s total soybean imports for the month.

Total soybean imports hit a record 13.92 mln tons in May, more than double the 6.08 mln tons imported in April, the lowest in a decade. The surge was partly due to normalized customs clearance speeds and improved operations at crushing plants, according to Liu Jinlu, a researcher at Guoyuan Futures.

From January to May 2025, Brazil supplied 21.25 mln tons, down 14% from last year due to harvest delays. In contrast, U.S. imports rose 34.3% to 14.57 mln tons, driven by proactive purchases amid potential U.S.-China trade tensions, noted Wan Chengzhi, an analyst at Capital Jingdu Futures.

Soybean imports are expected to remain high in the third quarter, while fourth-quarter volumes will hinge on U.S.-China trade negotiation outcomes. Imports from Argentina fell 47.5% to 0.11 mln tons over the first five months, with no shipments recorded in May.

Tags: China, Brazil, soybean