China’s top planning officials said Monday the country’s grain supply remains secure even without U.S. feed grain and oilseed imports, citing abundant global alternatives and strong domestic reserves. Zhao Chenxin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, emphasized that U.S. crops like soybeans, corn, and sorghum “can be easily substituted” and that the global supply is “quite sufficient.”
Shipments of soybeans from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are expected to surge above 30 MMT between April and June, setting a quarterly record, according to Bloomberg calculations. This flood of South American soybeans will ease a recent supply crunch and help cool domestic soymeal prices, which had spiked to their highest level since December 2023 after March soybean imports hit a decade low.
“Even without purchases of U.S. feed grains and oilseed, there won’t be much impact on China’s grain supply,” said Zhao. Brazilian shipments will help “further cool animal feed prices” after earlier supply disruptions, according to Yin Ruifen, who is affiliated with China’s ag ministry.
