# Amino acids (lysine, methionine): Movement

A third of China's lysine sails abroad

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/movement/

A third of China's lysine sails abroad What this tab covers How it moves between countries: share of output traded, physical form and transport, the largest exporters and importers, main routes, India's trade, and handling rules in transit.

#### Trade in 2024 UN Comtrade, HS 292241
 World exports $2.03 bn 66 reporting exporters · about 1.47 m t Largest exporter China 70.2% of world exports Largest importer Netherlands 11.4% of world imports India imports $115.7 m
exports $1.70 m #4 importer · #24 exporter

#### Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
 Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 292241: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.

#### HS 292241: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 70.2% | $1.42 bn | 1.12 m |
| **Netherlands** | 8.3% | $167.6 m | 113k |
| **United States** | 4.3% | $87.2 m | 64k |
| **South Korea** | 4.3% | $86.1 m | 76k |
| **France** | 2% | $41.2 m | – |
| **Germany** | 1.8% | $35.9 m | 17k |
| **Lithuania** | 1.8% | $35.8 m | – |
| **Brazil** | 1.6% | $32.6 m | 29k |

#### HS 292241: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Netherlands** | 11.4% | $255.7 m | 180k |
| **Germany** | 5.5% | $123.2 m | 82k |
| **Spain** | 5.2% | $116.2 m | – |
| **India** | 5.2% | $115.7 m | – |
| **United States** | 5% | $112.0 m | – |
| **Thailand** | 4.1% | $91.1 m | – |
| **Poland** | 3.9% | $88.1 m | 59k |
| **Italy** | 3.5% | $78.1 m | 51k |

#### HS 293040: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 52.7% | $601.5 m | 260k |
| **Malaysia** | 16.1% | $183.9 m | 76k |
| **France** | 14.4% | $164.8 m | 63k |
| **Germany** | 6.7% | $76.7 m | 28k |
| **Japan** | 2.7% | $30.4 m | 11k |
| **Netherlands** | 2.2% | $25.2 m | 9,264 |
| **South Africa** | 0.8% | $8.80 m | 2,988 |
| **Spain** | 0.6% | $7.38 m | 2,592 |

#### HS 293040: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 15.2% | $375.7 m | 160k |
| **India** | 7% | $171.8 m | 72k |
| **Brazil** | 6.7% | $164.7 m | 78k |
| **Germany** | 4.9% | $120.4 m | 51k |
| **Indonesia** | 4.5% | $111.3 m | 45k |
| **Netherlands** | 3.1% | $77.1 m | 37k |
| **Philippines** | 3.1% | $75.9 m | 30k |
| **Poland** | 2.8% | $70.3 m | 28k |

 UN Comtrade 2024, reported by each country (exports by exporters, imports by importers), all partners. Some countries (for example Russia and Iran) do not report, so their shares are missing. HS codes can be broader than the tile: check the code before reading a share as the whole market.

#### How it moves

| Measure | Figure |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Share traded** | high: China exported about 1.01 Mt of lysine in Jan-Nov 2024, roughly a third of its output, and over 30% of amino acid output overall (Faxian Gongchang 2026) |  |  |
| **How it moves** | Powders and granules in 25 kg bags and 1 t big bags by container; liquid MHA and liquid lysine in ISO tanks and bulk tankers. |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | China to Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and India; Singapore, Belgium and the US for methionine. |  |  |
| **India** | . India imports all its feed lysine and methionine (indicative). HS 292241: India imported $116 million (5.2% of world imports, rank 4) and exported $2 million (0.1% of world exports, rank 24); HS 293040: India imported $172 million (7.0% of world imports, rank 2) and exported $456 thousand (0.0% of world exports, rank 27) (UN Comtrade 2024). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | Not dangerous goods; dust explosion risk in handling. |  |  |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/trading/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/amino_acids/links/index.md)