China Increases Imports of American Soybeans to 10 Million Tons in the 2025/26 Season

This week, the Chinese state corporation Sinograin made purchases of ten batches of American soybeans, totaling approximately 600,000 tons. According to traders, these transactions occurred under the trade truce between China and the United States, established at the end of October.

This is reported by AgroReview

Supply Plans and Commitment Fulfillment

Market participants stated that the purchased soybeans are planned to be shipped between March and May. This coincides with the peak export season for soybeans from Brazil, which is the main competitor of the United States in the global market. Overall, China’s import volume of American soybeans for the 2025/26 season is estimated at 8.5–10 million tons. Thus, the country has already fulfilled up to 80% of its commitment to purchase 12 million tons by the end of February. Traders do not rule out that Beijing may make additional purchases soon to fully meet the announced plans.

Confirmed Sales and Market Impact

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed on Tuesday private sales of 336,000 tons of soybeans to China for delivery in the 2025/26 season, which will last until August 31. The total volume of confirmed purchases by China since October has already reached nearly 6.9 million tons. A significant portion of the sales conducted through “unknown buyers” is likely also related to China.

“Active purchases by China have supported soybean futures in Chicago at the end of 2025, despite an oversupply in the domestic market of China and weak demand.”

Despite American soybeans remaining more expensive than the new crop from Brazil, the price gap has narrowed. This has occurred due to the strengthening of the Brazilian real and the weakening of the U.S. dollar, allowing American suppliers to maintain competitiveness in the global market.