China Bought $12.6 Billion in U.S. Soybeans Last Year. Now, It’s $0.
Trump - Lula call will revolve around Soybeans and China. Lula will act as Messenger Boy to Xi Jinping. The goal is for China buys more soybeans from the US. Trump throws Bolsonaro under the bus Increase Lula's chances to win the 2026 elections by lowering the brutal 50% tariffs on certain goods mainly coffee beef
China Bought $12.6 Billion in U.S. Soybeans Last Year. Now, It’s $0.
By Kevin Draper
Reporting from Kansas City, Mo.
Sept. 25, 2025
Each week, the Agriculture Department publishes a summary of the latest exports of American crops. Lately, they have all been missing the same thing: The sale of soybeans to China.
Soybeans are the single largest American export to China in terms of value, $12.6 billion worth last year. But as the fall harvest gets underway across the country — 9 percent of planted beans had been harvested as of last week — the country that bought 52 percent of all American soybean exports last year is completely absent.
Sept. 1 was the beginning of the new marketing year for soybeans, the starting point for big sales. Instead, China hasn’t bought any American soybeans since May.
The cause is retaliatory tariffs China has placed on the United States, making the price of American soybeans unattractive for buyers there. Throughout the summer, farmers hoped the Trump administration and China would reach a trade agreement that would drop the tariff on their crops, but so far, no relief was forthcoming.
Through July, China bought 51 percent fewer American soybeans than during the same period last year, according to the Agriculture Department. Other countries, like Egypt, Taiwan and Bangladesh are buying soybeans from the United States, yet, total soybean exports are down 23 percent this year.
Already, the consequences are stacking up for American farmers. On Monday, the Trump administration pledged to support Argentina as it faces economic turmoil. The same day, Argentina suspended its tax on exports of a number of key crops, including soybeans. Shortly thereafter, Chinese companies bought more than one million tons of Argentine soybeans, according to Reuters, increasing the nation’s ability to hold out from buying the crop from America.
Kevin Draper is a business correspondent covering the agriculture industry. He can be reached at kevin.draper@nytimes.com or kevin.draper@protonmail.com. |
