New crop soybean sales are falling behind, approaching 20-year lows. China has not booked a single shipment, and analysts say demand could drop even more.
The peak marketing season in the United States will come later this year, but China already has a lot of soybeans on hand. Imports there were steady back in May on a push for more oilseed processing. They have so much on hand, Reuters reports that some crush plants are shutting down because of storage issues.
While China has not bought any new crop beans just yet, there is still time. In 2005, the first Chinese purchase came during the week ending August 11th.
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Expect choppier basis and wider bids — hedge earlier, keep logistics flexible, and watch Argentina and India headlines for near-term opportunities.
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Treat storage as risk management and logistics, and budget to break even since export growth is unlikely to absorb bigger U.S. corn and soybean crops.
Escalating U.S.–China tensions threaten soybean demand as farm finances are stretched further.
