China vaults to #1 in Brazilian oilseed exports, from near zero

Who moved

A year ago, China barely registered in Brazilian exports of oilseeds and oleaginous fruits. Its rank was #68, FOB a rounding error — US$ 30 in total. Through the first four months of 2026, China sits at #1, with US$ 195 million and a 32.4% market share. Sixty-seven positions in a single cycle.

Moves like this don't happen without a structural trigger. When a buyer catapults from the bottom of the statistical table to the top in one window, it means a new supply line opened, an origin substitution happened at scale, or a commodity quietly became strategic.

The fight for the top

The FOB jumped roughly 7 million times over — from literal zero to market leader. Share went from a decimal footnote to nearly a third of everything Brazil ships in this segment.

SH4 1207 covers a wide range: sesame, safflower, poppy, pumpkin seed, hemp, and other lesser-known oilseeds well beyond soybeans. China is a longtime buyer of sesame and functional seeds. Brazil has been expanding acreage in these niches across Mato Grosso and Goiás, and the timing aligns with that supply build-out landing in export markets.

What this changes in practice

For Brazilian shippers, the implications are concrete. Santos and Paranaguá — the dominant export corridors — now carry China as the leading destination in this segment. Pacific-routing bulk carriers gain weight in freight contracts. The yuan/real spread starts mattering in longer-term bilateral negotiations alongside the dollar.

The 32% concentration also raises the obvious question: dependency. If Beijing reduces purchases — trade policy shift, domestic harvest recovery, substitution from another Asian supplier — the corridor disappears. Exporters should verify whether contracts carry a fixed-price mechanism or are indexed to an international benchmark.

Looking ahead

The key question is whether this is structural or episodic. Purchases at this scale imply at least a medium-term supply agreement — not spot buying. If China sustains this pace through the end of 2026, Brazil could consolidate as the preferred supplier of niche oilseeds, a segment currently led by Ethiopia and India in sesame.

The global sesame market is worth roughly US$ 5 billion per year. Brazil entered relevantly only recently. This China-led surge is the clearest confirmation yet that the country is serious about diversifying beyond soybeans.

The last time a single buyer concentrated more than 30% of an oilseed category this fast was the 2011 sugar cycle, when India dominated for two years before pulling back. Concentration peaks don't hold — but they do reward whoever is positioned when they do.

Source: MDIC ComexStat

What this means for you

For exporters: Map whether contracts with Chinese buyers include automatic renewal clauses or are spot — locking in renewal now, while demand is strong, secures pricing in a favorable window.

For exporters: Check storage capacity at Santos and Paranaguá for the second half, when the Cerrado sesame harvest typically reaches port.

For importers: If the China-Brazil oilseed corridor solidifies, watch whether Indian and Ethiopian suppliers adjust pricing to compete — potential to renegotiate functional-food supply chain contracts.