Soybeans
An oil-and-protein bean crushed mainly into animal feed; China buys about two-thirds of world soybean imports by value.
Oilseeds & oils · No. 91
- Not on a critical list
- HHI 2,420 · moderately concentrated
Three-quarters of every soybean becomes meal for pigs and chickens, and China buys two-thirds of world imports.
Chart: Illustration: Soybeans
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Soybeans were grown in China over 4,500 years ago. As a legume the plant fixes its own nitrogen, so it rotates neatly with maize. World output reached 398 Mt in 2024.
Three things to know
- China bought 65.3% of world soybean imports by value in 2024, mainly to feed pigs and chickens.
- World soybean output rose about 3.7-fold between 1990 and 2024, reaching 398 million tonnes.
- A crusher gets about 0.78 t of meal and 0.20 t of oil from each tonne of beans, so protein sets the margin.
The journey
- 1 FieldLegume grown in rotation with maize
- 2 ElevatorHarvested and stored as whole beans
- 3 CrushingCracked, flaked and solvent extracted
- 4 Meal and oilAbout 0.78 t meal, 0.20 t oil
- 5 End usesPig and poultry feed, cooking oil, biodiesel