China's soyabean imports from Brazil nearly doubled in October from a year earlier, customs data showed on Monday, as buyers scooped up shipments on worries over shortages amid trade tensions with the United States, a major supplier. China typically buys most of its soyabeans from the United States in the fourth quarter, when American shipments dominate the market after the US harvest and as Brazilian crops are still maturing.
Chinese importers are now avoiding US soyabeans, however, because of concerns of additional curbs following the 25 percent tariff that Beijing imposed on US beans on July 6 in response to US tariffs on Chinese goods. China imported 6.53 million tonnes of Brazilian soyabeans in October, up from 3.38 million tonnes in the same month last year, according to data released on Monday by the General Administration of Customs.
The volume, 94 percent of China's total imports of the oilseed of 6.92 million tonnes for October, were down from 7.59 million tonnes in September, as buying ebbed due to large stockpiles. Chinese soyabean imports from the United States slid to just 66,955 tonnes, down from 1.33 million tonnes a year earlier. Chinese customs last month began updating an online database with commodity imports by country of origin, replacing a service that had until March only been available to clients. Percentage changes with year-earlier figures were calculated by Reuters.
China's splurge on Brazilian beans in recent months has led to big stockpiles of soyameal and soyabeans that have alleviated worries of a feed shortage for the world's biggest pig herd.
National soyabean stocks rose to a record in early October at 9 million tonnes, while soyabean meal stocks were also higher than in previous years. Soyabean imports from Russia in October were at 92,806 tonnes, up 60 percent from 57,643 tonnes a year earlier.
And China brought in 127,630 tonnes of soyabeans from Uruguay in October, down from 258,787 tonnes in the previous year. Soyabean imports from Argentina in October were at 33,200 tonnes, down from 772,756 tonnes in the same month last year.