Protein pinch: China’s soybean imports to slow over rest of 2021 on curbed meal use By Reuters – Investing.com

Protein pinch: China’s soybean imports to slow over rest of 2021 on curbed meal use By Reuters – Investing.com

By Hallie Gu and Gavin Maguire

BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's soybean imports are set to slow sharply in late 2021 from a record first-half tally, confounding expectations for sustained growth from the top global buyer and denting market sentiment just as U.S. farmers look to sell their new crop.

A collapse in hog sector profitability and a sharp rise in wheat feed use are crimping demand in China, where imports this year may now be less than 100 million tonnes, compared with a recent U.S. forecast of 102 million tonnes.