U.S. officials will impose stricter quality control on exports of soybeans headed to China in response to a request from China, a move that may curb some American shipments. Shipments with impurity levels below a new standard of 1 percent, half the current level, will receive priority for shipment, while soybeans above it may be held back for more cleaning, U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman William Wepsala said Wednesday. The new standard may go into effect Jan. 1, he said. China is the world’s biggest soybean importer and purchases have climbed to a record as an expansion in large-scale livestock farming and a shortage of protein-rich feed grains boosts soymeal consumption. China is by far the biggest destination for U.S. soybean exports, with sales of US$14.2 billion of the oilseed in 2016, more than one-third of the value of the crop. The requirements will increase costs for exporters and will be a blow to U.S. shipments, said Monica Tu, an analyst at Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. There could be a grace period as some cargoes are already on the way to China, she said. China made the request to the United States in early December, Wepsala said. A spokesman at China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine declined to comment. The new rules mean “the United States is going to lose some business,” said Charlie Sernatinger, global head of grain futures for ED&F Man Capital Markets in Chicago. (SD-Agencies) |