China imports of soybean reached a new record in August with 11.2Mt!

Despite elevated stocks, imports of soybean in China rose +30% YoY to a new record at 12.1Mt in Aug’24 after import pace had stood at 5-year seasonal high since Jun’24.

A chart showing the evolution of China soybean exports from January to December, comparing data from 2022, 2023, and 2024, with each year represented by different colors from the IG color palette. Additionally, a grey shadow range represents the 5-year variation.

Slower pace of cargo discharge in July, caused by unfavourable weather and high stocks at coastal regions have been mentioned as an explanation for the unseasonal spike in August. Looking forward, the first estimates for Brazil’s next 2024/25 soybean crop came with an increase of +12% YoY compared to this year, suggesting more records in 2025!

If you would like to get more information on this topic and the impact on the freight market, please reach out to us on: [email protected].