China beans market: modest rise in imported mung bean arrivals, tight mid-size sprouts supply, steady but cautious demand and mixed kidney bean prices.
Prices & Market Tone
FOB Beijing prices in EUR show a broadly stable to slightly firmer picture across key Chinese bean varieties. Mung beans (3.8 mm up) are around EUR 1.45/kg, marginally higher than early June, while organic mung beans trade near EUR 1.52/kg. Conventional black kidney beans hold around EUR 1.05/kg, with dark red kidney beans near EUR 1.30/kg and large white kidney beans at about EUR 2.05/kg. Adzuki beans (red, 5.0 mm up) hover around EUR 1.31–1.37/kg, with little change week on week.
Supply & Demand Dynamics
Market feedback indicates that arrivals of mung beans from Australia, India and Myanmar have increased slightly in recent days, lifting the volume of tradable commercial mung beans. Nonetheless, total available supply is still lower than the same period in previous years, which helps underpin prices despite the import uptick. Domestic stocks of Uzbek-origin mung beans are estimated around 300,000–400,000 tonnes, but the share of medium-sized sprouting beans is limited, while small-size material is more abundant.
On the demand side, most importers and traders are closely aligning their sales pace with real market off‑take, focusing on rigid demand rather than speculative holding. Downstream exporters in particular report lower inventories than in past seasons, prompting selective restocking but no broad-based buying wave. Some wholesalers lack confidence in sustained demand, and therefore maintain only moderate procurement volumes, which together keep spot trading active but measured.
Fundamentals & Weather Outlook
Fundamentally, the mung bean segment remains supported by the combination of structurally tighter year-on-year supply and a quality mismatch between medium and small particle sizes. This favours firm pricing for desirable sprouting-grade beans, while more plentiful small-size lots see relatively more negotiation pressure. Kidney beans and adzuki beans show a more balanced fundamental backdrop, with domestic availability adequate and only modest external supply shifts.
Weather across key Chinese bean-producing regions in late June is seasonally warm with scattered showers, broadly favourable for field development and early crop prospects. No major short-term weather threats are expected for the coming days, so the immediate market focus remains on logistics, import arrivals and demand recovery rather than on weather-induced supply shocks.
Trading Outlook & Strategy
- Importers/Traders: Maintain a cautiously long stance in quality medium-sized mung beans, where structural tightness persists, while using current import arrivals from Australia, India and Myanmar to fine-tune coverage.
- Wholesalers: Avoid heavy destocking at current levels; instead, roll inventories in small batches in line with actual off‑take, as total supply is still below normal and downside appears limited.
- Exporters: With inventories below last year, consider gradual replenishment on price dips, prioritising stable grades (black and dark red kidney, standard mung) to secure execution capacity for second-half contracts.
3‑Day Price & Directional View (CN)
- Beijing – Mung beans (3.8 mm up): Around EUR 1.45/kg, bias stable to slightly firm on tight medium-size supply.
- Beijing – Kidney beans (black, dark red): Around EUR 1.05–1.30/kg, expected broadly stable with mild support from cautious selling.
- Beijing – Adzuki beans: Around EUR 1.31–1.37/kg, likely to trade sideways given balanced fundamentals.