China's purchases of US farm goods other than soybeans are on track for a seven-year low this year, a Reuters analysis of customs data showed. Beijing agreed to buy $17 billion of US agricultural goods annually from 2026, and it is unclear whether it is in breach of that commitment.
Chinese buying of US farm goods other than soybeans is on track for a seven-year low this year, according to a Reuters analysis of customs data. The slowdown comes despite an agreement to purchase billions of dollars in imports.
Purchases fall short of the $17 billion target
In May, the White House said Beijing agreed to buy $17 billion of US agricultural goods annually from 2026, with this year's target prorated. Those purchases come on top of an October commitment to buy US soybeans.
However, while China is on track to hit its soybean target, it bought just $7.2 billion worth of other agricultural goods, from meat to corn, between January and September. Imports are at their lowest for this period since 2019.
Whether Beijing is in breach is unclear. The White House has not said whether the clock began after the May announcement or will start once China's proposed tariff cuts are finalised, which has yet to happen.
Weak demand and competition cloud corn, sorghum and meat
Analysts say weak Chinese demand and stiff competition make the target difficult to meet unless Beijing orders state-owned buyers into action. At its peak in 2021, China imported $5.6 billion worth of corn. Last month, COFCO Futures said US corn was not competitive partly because of ample domestic supply, and it forecast imports of about 900,000 tons for the 2026/27 marketing year.
Sorghum faces a similar squeeze. US shipments to China peaked at 6.5 million metric tons worth $2.1 billion in 2021, and Brazil, which secured access in September 2025, has shipped 1.7 million metric tons to China so far this year, said Marex's Eduardo Vanin.
Meat imports face constraints too. Pork and chicken are oversupplied domestically, while US beef prices are high because herds have declined. About half of US fed-cattle slaughter capacity is ineligible to export to China, according to the US Meat Export Federation.
Analysts see state buyers as the key
Analysts said Beijing will probably need to lean on state buyers to meet the target, as it is already doing with soybeans. Whether that happens is ultimately a political question, they added.
Darin Friedrichs of Sitonia Consulting told Reuters: "It’s difficult to get to $17 billion in non-soybeans without directed, non-market, purchases."
Source: Reuters via Investing.com
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