USSEC head says China is an irreplaceable customer for US soybean
In China, Global Times reported that Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), said that China is the largest and, in many ways, the most irreplaceable customer for U.S. soybeans.
According to the latest data from the USSEC, in market year 2024/25, a total of 22.6 million metric tons of US soy was shipped to China. Sutter said that he is “cautiously optimistic” that U.S. soybean exports to China can reliably stay in the mid‑20‑million‑metric-ton range on an annual basis, given the high complementarity between the two sides, with China having been the key market for decades for the American soybean industry.
“We’ve been working in China for more than 40 years and over the last several decades, China has consistently been our largest export destination, often taking around half of all U.S. soybean exports in a given year, which translates into billions of dollars in value for American farmers and the broader supply chain,” said Sutter, noting that the trade supports jobs not only on farms, but in rural communities, transportation, export terminals, and related service industries across the US.
China relies heavily on imports to meet its soybean needs, purchasing the majority of its soybean supply to feed its livestock, aquaculture, and food sectors, and “that creates a deeply interdependent relationship: US farmers depend on China as a cornerstone customer, and Chinese feed and food companies depend on the US as a reliable, high‑quality supplier,” said Sutter.
“From the US soybean industry’s perspective, stable and predictable US-China economic and trade relations are essential,” said Sutter, noting that when tariffs, counter‑tariffs, and policy uncertainty escalated, US soybean exports to China dropped sharply, and that volatility made it extremely difficult for farmers and exporters to plan and invest for the future.
Category: Food & Agriculture
