# Soybeans: Overview

Why the meal, not the oil, drives the crop

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/overview/

What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.

#### Key uses

| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Soybean meal for animal feed (poultry, pigs, aquaculture, dairy)** | 68% | about 294 million t of meal a yearbasis | Meal carries about 44-48% protein with a good amino-acid profile, so it is the cheapest bulk protein for compound feed. It is a co-product of oil, which spreads costs. Feed mills price it against maize, rapeseed meal and fishmeal. China alone crushed 109 Mt of beans in 2025/26 to feed its pig and poultry herd. USDA WASDE, 10 October 2026 | Rapeseed (canola) meal Sunflower meal Distillers dried grains (DDGS) Fishmeal and insect protein (aquafeed) Synthetic amino acids that cut total protein need |
| **Soybean oil for cooking, frying and processed food** | 17% | about 74 million t of oil a year (all uses)basis | A neutral-tasting, liquid oil that is cheap because it comes with meal. It dominates in the Americas and China and is India's second-largest imported oil. India imported 5.50 Mt of soybean oil in 2025/26 (WASDE) and took 35.3% of world soybean oil imports by value in 2024 (UN Comtrade). USDA WASDE, 10 October 2026; UN Comtrade 2024 | Palm oil and palm olein Sunflower oil Rapeseed (canola) oil Groundnut and mustard oil (India) |
| **Biodiesel and renewable diesel feedstock** | n/a | US: 14.8 billion lb (about 6.7 Mt) of soybean oil into biofuel in 2025/26, 49% of US soybean oil usebasis | Blending mandates and tax credits (US Renewable Fuel Standard and 45Z credit, Brazil's biodiesel mandate, Argentina's blend) create policy demand. Soybean oil was more than 39% of the US low-carbon feedstock pool in May 2026 (Fastmarkets, EIA data). This link makes soy oil trade partly like an energy product. USDA WASDE, 10 October 2026; Fastmarkets, 3 August 2026 | Used cooking oil and tallow Canola oil Palm oil (Indonesia and Malaysia biodiesel) Corn oil from ethanol plants |
| **Direct food, full-fat feed and seed (tofu, soy milk, tempeh, natto, roasted full-fat beans)** | 13% | about 56 million t of beans a yearbasis | Whole beans are a staple protein in East Asia and are used as full-fat feed where farms roast their own beans. Seed for planting is also in this bucket: India retains about 1.2 Mt of its crop for sowing (SOPA 2025-26). USDA WASDE, 10 October 2026; SOPA supply-demand estimate 2025-26 | Pulses (chickpea, lentil, pea protein) Dairy and egg protein Wheat gluten and other plant proteins |

 Shares are by weight of world soybean use in 2025/26 (USDA WASDE Oct 2026), allocating crushed beans to meal and oil by product yield. Hulls and crush losses make up the remaining 2%. A global split of soybean oil between food and biofuel was not found; the US split is shown.

#### From field to user

1. **Seed, inputs and planting** Mostly GM herbicide-tolerant varieties in the Americas; Brazil planted 47.35 million ha in 2024/25 (Conab). India's kharif crop is sown June-July on about 12 million ha (120.45 lakh ha in 2025).
2. **Farming and harvest** Yields range from about 0.9 t/ha in rainfed central India to 3.6 t/ha in Brazil and the US. World output was 429 Mt in 2025/26 (WASDE).
3. **Country elevators and storage** Beans store well when dry (about 13% moisture), so farmers and elevators hold them and sell through the year.
4. **Inland logistics and export ports** Brazil shipped 108.7 Mt in 2025 (Cargonave), with Santos alone loading 32.8 Mt in January-October 2025. Most cargoes go in Panamax ships (85.6% of Brazil's loadings, Banchero Costa).
5. **Crushing (solvent extraction)** About 87% of beans are crushed: 375.8 Mt in 2025/26. Each tonne gives roughly 0.78 t of meal and 0.20 t of crude oil (WASDE world ratios).
6. **Refining and feed milling** Crude oil is degummed, refined, bleached and deodorised for food, or sent to biodiesel plants. Meal goes to compound feed mills.
7. **End users** Livestock and fish farms (via feed), food companies and households (oil), fuel blenders (biodiesel and renewable diesel).

#### Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
 CBOT soybean futures 1,257 US cents/bushel Close 2026-10-23 · Yahoo Finance 1 week **-0.4%** 6 months **+6.7%** World production 397.7 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer Brazil 36.33% of world

#### Three things to know

- China bought 65.3% of world soybean imports by value in 2024 (UN Comtrade, HS 1201).
- World soybean output rose about 3.7-fold from 1990 to 2024, reaching 398 million tonnes (FAOSTAT).
- In June 1973 the US embargoed soybean exports; some have suggested this prompted Japan to invest more in Brazilian soy (Morgan).

#### Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days

- [Soybean output may dip to 2%; MP, Rajasthan to cushion Maharashtra losses](https://news.google.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?oc=5)Business Standard · 2026-10-18
- [EXCLUSIVE: India customs scrutiny diverts Niger soybeans to Asia at steep discounts, sources say](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixAFBVV95cUxNNWlIZGtPMW50SWpUTklMeU5qV1FDR19WREctdW5IRDFxbTE4RGpaamNxWXJTY0JUdVVFczhLNG1tVkpGWmxoQ3pDV2x5UFA0Y2txakZGeTNHS0ZONXdraWRGSjItaFdTZ1pvRHo1eEhKQ1JDRDgyNVBNNExQelR0TWZKNThOOXBxUk93aGhJTHFtcjkyYlptc3BDN3VLaHpoTGVDNXRRakg1MjVlWXRFd250c3VtXzhGYkd0T0Q4eGdYS1ZS?oc=5)Reuters · 2026-10-15
- [USDA soybean-oil forecast implies roughly 600 million additional D4 RINs](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirwFBVV95cUxNa1RweFUyLVpwR0RkOGhHWk1xWUdnUkpBblBDV2NIYkZpMkJCTDlaSHFDN3o0VFZfTjh2Uldfc0R6SndiMDJZSjVJSDVCZndkanZLSDBpMi01QnRWeTdwUDNQYUpPcHE5LUJ1U3h6OEdMVmxjSlFvX1prQWY2bHVqRWFtVzlmN29LNVp0ZnFrT293LVI1T1lNLXdJbVVZb3dfbEJiSFN5LWZldzFYTEFn?oc=5)Fastmarkets · 2026-10-19
- [What discolored soybeans mean for quality, price and marketability](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipAFBVV95cUxOc3VYQzZlMmVpMzl2TlVaLTUzdDktU0NzaGN6czNlMnpCeGlORXctaS15NWZwSnpMZzZJUlNNTTRMUE1weUZkOVJ6RkwwZlRwQy1mVkFMOU95bmRRWkgxSEQzSmRZTTQ4RzNRU2lXSlcxVjEtai1CMnE3QlNDcU1ZWVB4ZFYyLWMzY0dfTmxUSVhmYW90M0piaFZqOGN1dkFaQjI2dQ?oc=5)Farm Progress · 2026-10-20
- [Northern Plains soybean basis strengthens amid tight supplies](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxPendiNy1BREtYMUYwc0pQMVduWHI4ZWY4TnA1b3JicjZwVTl3anZKVnpaUnFZTGY0THZCN3ROZk4tX0hBNnBFUmpUaTcyaG9FN1BxMWp1VE42akJ4djBKc2x3Y1ZfNFlraEQySFJxUm9rR0ExTWl6WXRXVEh6T0RSblNibmNROUtPTlNHTFNGcHJoTFRrdEVWbGtVM3A?oc=5)Brownfield Ag News · 2026-10-15

#### Chemicals made from it
[Fd Food and feed additives](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/)[Glyc Glycerine](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/glycerine/)

#### Read the tabs
[Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/extraction/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/production/)[Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/stocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/movement/)[Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/criticality/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/emissions/)

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/links/index.md)