US Soy Imports by China Increase 84% in the First Two Months

China’s imports of soybeans from the United States increased by 84.1% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the previous year. Still, competitive prices and the ongoing trade impasse with the US are expected to boost Brazil’s purchases in the coming months.

As the world’s largest soybean buyer, China imported 9.13 million tons of the oilseed from the US in January-February, up from 4.96 million tons during the same period in 2024.

“The increase in US soybean imports is mainly due to the ‘Trump effect,’ where concerns over higher tariffs led to a rush to purchase,” said Rosa Wang, an analyst at JCI, an agro-consulting firm based in Shanghai.
Delayed planting in Brazil has also heightened expectations of a late harvest, prompting more soybean purchases from the US to fill the gap, Wang added.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s soybean imports fell by 48.4% in January-February, dropping to 3.59 million tons from 6.96 million tons in 2024. According to customs data released earlier this month, total imports for the January-February period rose by 4.4% to 13.61 million tons. The arrival of US cargo was confirmed before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. However, traders expect a decline in March.

Earlier this month, Beijing retaliated against the new US tariffs by increasing duties on US$21 billion of agricultural products, including soybeans, fueling expectations that China will seek to boost Brazilian supplies.
Brazil, the world’s largest soybean exporter, competes with the US in sales to key markets such as China.

Brazil is currently experiencing a bountiful harvest, and the shipments received are expected to push China’s imports in the second quarter to record levels.

Brazil’s soybean harvest for the 2024/25 season has reached 70% of the planted area as of last Thursday, according to agribusiness consultancy AgRural on Monday—representing the fastest pace for this time of year in at least 14 years.

Source: Forbes Brasil

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