【By Observer Net, Zhang Jingjuan】After losing China as a major buyer, American soybeans have fallen into an export dilemma. The Trump administration is busy preparing an agricultural assistance program while actively seeking new buyers around the globe.

According to Hong Kong's English media South China Morning Post, apart from China, the main buyers of American soybeans include Mexico, the European Union, Japan, and Indonesia. Now, Chinese orders have shifted to Brazil and Argentina, and the United States is urging African and Asian countries to increase their purchases. The Trump team has even pushed into untested markets like India.

"As part of our trade negotiations, we are calling on all soybean customers around the world," Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said during an interview with CNBC on the 6th. He added that the Trump administration "is also ready to develop very strong policy support for farmers."

On the same day, Divya Kumar Gulati, president of the Indian Composite Livestock Feed Manufacturers' Association (CLFMA), stated that the CLFMA delegation recently visited U.S. farms and found that American farmers were "seriously incurring losses." Trade negotiations currently underway may open the door for importing soybeans from the United States for animal feed.

Gulati said: "American farmers are suffering huge losses because China has stopped purchasing. So they are in a desperate situation now and need to sell somewhere."

To promote soybean exports, the main soybean producing areas in the United States have taken the initiative. Last month, Iowa, a state heavily reliant on soybean farming, sent a delegation led by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, including Iowa's Agriculture Secretary Mike Naegle and leaders in agriculture and business in the state, to India. A eight-day visit aimed at deepening partnerships and helping increase sales of American soybeans.

The report pointed out that the Trump trade team hopes India will fully open its agricultural market to American products. However, this demand poses a "political problem" for Indian Prime Minister Modi and his ruling party, the BJP - Indian farmers are a key voting group, and any hasty concessions could trigger domestic public backlash, which is politically sensitive.

American farm soybean IC photo

While trying to secure India, the United States is also "casting a wide net" in other regions. According to reports, recently, Bangladesh, a South Asian country, increased its import of American soybeans to please Trump. Since the beginning of 2025, this neighbor of India has imported over 4 million tons of soybeans from the United States; in June this year, Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Soybean Export Association, promising to purchase more than $1.4 billion in American agricultural products, including soybeans, corn, and wheat; in August, a delegation from the American Soybean Association visited Nigeria to promote the use of soybeans in fish feed.

On October 7, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau will visit the White House to meet with Trump. The report states that although Canada has always been a stable buyer of American soybeans, the purchase volume is relatively limited. It is widely expected that Trump will use this meeting to pressure Canada to increase its soybean purchases.

White House Press Secretary Levitt also said that trade would be the top agenda during the meeting between the two leaders.

However, these new market expansion efforts are difficult to fill the gap left by the Chinese market. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that in the past five years, China accounted for more than 40% of U.S. soybean exports. Last week, Trump said he would discuss this issue with China later this month and promised to help American farmers using funds raised from tariffs imposed by the U.S. on all major trading partners, including China. The Trump administration is also considering a rescue plan worth billions of dollars to support struggling farmers.

U.S. media The Wall Street Journal cited sources who said that Trump and his team are considering using tariff revenues as the main source of aid funds, and the aid funds may start to be distributed in the coming months. A senior government official also said that discussions mainly revolve around an aid scale of $10 billion to $14 billion, and this money is most likely to be used to support soybean growers and other groups in the agricultural economy.

The official said that the relevant discussions are still ongoing and no final decision has been reached yet. He also emphasized that if a soybean procurement agreement is reached between China and the U.S., Trump's considerations regarding the farmer assistance program might change.

But for the U.S. soybean industry, government aid is ultimately just a "temporary fix". Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association, told CNN, "Government payments and programs can never fully cover the farmers' bottom line. It is often just a band-aid on a wound."

Earlier this month, in a statement, Ragland had already called on the Trump administration to "prioritize ensuring an immediate soybean agreement with China."

"American farmers can no longer wait and hope. Our competitors are replacing the United States in the world's largest soybean importing market, and the agricultural economy is suffering losses," said Ragland.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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