InfoSAWIT, BEIJING – China's soybean imports from Brazil surged by 9.2% in June 2025 compared to the same period last year, driven by a bumper harvest in Brazil and ongoing trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Meanwhile, supplies from the United States also saw a sharp increase of 21%.

Data from the General Administration of Customs released on Sunday, July 20, shows that the Bamboo Curtain Nation imported 10.62 million tons of soybeans from Brazil in June, accounting for 86.6% of total soybean imports for the month. This figure is up from 9.72 million tons in June last year.

Imports from the US reached 1.58 million tons or 12.9% of the total, up from 1.31 million tons in the same month last year. Overall, China recorded a record high for soybean imports in June, totaling 12.26 million tons.

“The surge in June imports year-on-year largely reflects delayed shipments from April due to slow customs processes,” said Liu Jinlu, an agricultural researcher at Guoyuan Futures, as reported by InfoSAWIT from Reuters on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. “Meanwhile, growth from January to June was driven by Brazil's abundant soybean harvest for the 2024/25 season.”

However, total soybean imports from Brazil during January–June actually fell by 7.5% compared to the same period last year, totaling 31.86 million tons. In contrast, shipments from the US rose sharply by 33% during the same period, reaching 16.15 million tons.

Analysts expect the trend of high soybean imports to continue into the third quarter of 2025. However, the direction of imports in the fourth quarter will heavily depend on the outcome of trade negotiations between China and the United States.

Liu noted that soybean supplies from South America have led to a surge in soymeal production, but downstream demand has not kept pace with production rates. “Because South American soybeans have a short shelf life, processing plants (crushers) have increased operational capacity. This accelerates soymeal production, but weak demand has led to a 'just-in-time' purchasing pattern and rapid stockpiling,” he explained.

Meanwhile, soybean imports from Argentina were recorded at only 111,603 tons during the first half of 2025, a drastic decline of 47.5% compared to the previous year. No shipments were recorded from Argentina in June, indicating a significant shift in China's soybean supply landscape amid changing global dynamics. (T2)