Chinese soybean exports down

China’s soybean imports fell 12% in the first half of the year after inspectors prevented contaminated shipments from being sold.

Soybean imports fell to 8.94 million metric tons, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a report on an official website. Cooking oil imports rose 70% in the period to 3.35 million tons.

China began blocking soybeans from Brazil in April after a surge in demand drew supplies from Brazilian farmers, who were unaccustomed to China’s requirements, allowing seeds contaminated with agricultural chemicals to be mixed with their products.