China's September US soybean imports rebound from zero a year earlier, data shows

US soybean arrivals in China reached 360,878 metric tons in September, compared with none in the same month a year before. Business Recorder reported, citing customs figures released on Tuesday, that the cargoes stemmed from an accord that resolved last year's trade dispute and kept arriving at Chinese harbours. Brazilian imports slipped 2.4% year on year to 10.7 million tons, while total soybean intake for the month fell 7.7% to 11.88 million metric tons.

Across January to September, US soybean imports were 34% lower than a year earlier at 11.06 million tons, while Brazilian supplies climbed 3.4% to 65.84 million tons. Trade friction between Beijing and Washington last year had led Chinese buyers to hold off on the previous US harvest until the leaders of both nations met in October. After that meeting, US soybean purchases totalled about 12 million tons, a level that remains far below the volumes seen before the trade war.

Separately, traders told Reuters last week that China had bought over 60% of a 25-million-ton US soybean target for the 2026/27 marketing year. Shipments under that programme began in September.