As operation rates continue the decline this week (Mar. 14-20), soybean crush at domestic mills totals 1,386,600 tonnes (meal 1,095,414 tonnes and oil 263,454 tonnes), down 84,500 tonnes or 5.7% from 1,471,100 tonnes in the previous week. Meanwhile, operation rates (capacity utilization) are 39.85%, down 2.43 percentage points from 42.28% in the previous week. Soybean crush will slightly recover in the next two weeks to 1.48 mln tonnes and 1.58 mln tonnes, respectively.

 

Soybean crush nationwide is estimated at 6.67 mln tonnes in March at current utilization rate, above 6.3247 mln tonnes in the previous month and but below 7.0243 mln tonnes of the corresponding period last year.

 

As of this week, soybean crush nationwide totals 38,519,714 tonnes in the soybean crop year of 2019/20 (from October 1st, 2019), down 384,721 tonnes or 0.10% from 38,904,435 tonnes of the same period last year. In calendar year of 2020 (from Jan. 1st, 2020), national soybean crush amounts to 16,493,330 tonnes, up 740,265 tonnes or 4.70% from 15,753,035 tonnes of the corresponding period in 2019. 

 

Fig.: Soybean Weekly Crush in China (2016-2020)

 

Details for weekly crush by region and by group are shown as follows: