China Buys More Soybeans from Brazil, Leaving U.S. Farmers with Fewer Sales

China is buying more soybeans from Brazil than ever before, changing a long pattern in world trade.

Official records show China imported about 12 million tonnes of soybeans from Brazil in both June and July 2025.

By July, Brazil had shipped 77 million tonnes in total, a new record. Most of that went to China.

Why is this happening? Brazil produced a bigger crop this year—176 million tonnes, which is 2% more than last year.

These beans are cheaper and easier to ship to China than American soybeans right now.

Normally, China buys many soybeans from the U.S. between September and January, but this year Brazil is taking more of that business.

U.S. farmers are feeling the change. Sales to China dropped over 40% in April compared to last year.

Even though the price of U.S. soybeans is now lower than Brazil’s, Chinese buyers still pay more if they buy from the U.S. because of trade tariffs that have not gone away.

That keeps many Chinese importers from making big, long-term deals for American beans.

China Buys More Soybeans from Brazil, Leaving U.S. Farmers with Fewer Sales

But tariffs are not the only reason for these changes. China’s government says it has big soybean reserves—about 44 million tonnes, which is over a third of all the soybeans kept in storage worldwide.

Earlier this year, China imported a lot of beans to build up supplies. Because these stockpiles are so large, Chinese buyers can be picky about whom they buy from, and this year their best deals came from Brazil.

There is also less need to buy new soybeans because feed demand in China has dropped.

Prices for soymeal, a main use for soybeans, have fallen more than 6% compared to last year. Factories that crush soybeans have more product than they need.

In the U.S., farmers are trying to adapt. They are sending more soybeans to be made into animal feed and biofuel for cars and trucks within the country. This helps but does not make up for lost sales to China.

China is still expected to import about 112 million tonnes of soybeans this year, which is a huge amount. But who they buy it from has changed—Brazil now supplies most of it.