# China’s crop import curbs causing soybean shortage

> Chinese government efforts to limit agricultural imports have led to customs delays of over 20 days, versus about five normally, leaving some Guangdong soybean crushers in Dongguan idle for three weeks. Spot soybean meal prices in Guangdong rose almost 7% in one week, the largest rise since March.

- Date: 2025-01-01 · published 2025-01-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region China · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/14701-china-s-crop-import-curbs-causing-soybean-shortage
- Commodities: [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Import curbs and slow clearance tighten crush supply and lift regional soybean meal prices, while lower overall Chinese import demand weighs on global soybean prices.

## Read by commodity

- SBM: bullish ▲
- SOY: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SBM | 2017-06-16 | [China Widens Gate to GMO Crop Imports from U.S. - Caixin Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70354-china-widens-gate-to-gmo-crop-imports-from-u-s-caixin-global.md) | -2.3% | +7.2% |
| SBM | 2021-07-29 | [Soybean meal needs reduced import tax](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46151-soybean-meal-needs-reduced-import-tax.md) | -0.7% | -1.2% |
| SBM | 2020-12-24 | [Will China’s hog sector industrialization hike crop imports?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/49642-will-china-s-hog-sector-industrialization-hike-crop-imports.md) | +3.1% | +1.9% |
| SBM | 2023-08-29 | [Amid Soybean Crunch, Argentina Loosens Foreign Currency Controls for Imports](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13955-amid-soybean-crunch-argentina-loosens-foreign-currency-controls-for-imports.md) | -3.0% | -7.1% |
| SBM | 2021-09-25 | [Dreyfus, others shut soy crushers in China on power curbs - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45120-dreyfus-others-shut-soy-crushers-in-china-on-power-curbs-grainews.md) | -2.7% | -2.3% |
| SOY | 2025-06-18 | [China's big feed shift to curb soybean imports, strain small farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14653-china-s-big-feed-shift-to-curb-soybean-imports-strain-small-farmers.md) | -4.5% | -4.9% |
| SOY | 2023-04-10 | [China makes an effort to reduce soybean imports](https://feedsoft.ai/events/36361-china-makes-an-effort-to-reduce-soybean-imports.md) | +0.5% | -1.6% |
| SOY | 2025-12-31 | [Can China Reduce Soybean Import Demand? Evaluating Soybean Meal Reduction Efforts](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21488-can-china-reduce-soybean-import-demand-evaluating-soybean-meal-reduction-efforts.md) | +0.6% | +2.5% |

## Sources

- scmp.com: https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3291160/chinas-crop-import-curbs-causing-soybean-shortage

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.