China Beans Market: After Lunar New Year Pause, Stability Dominates—But For How Long?

The Chinese beans market enters a period of transition as the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) winds down. During the holiday, farmer participation in grain sales was notably weak and tradable supplies remained limited. Downstream business activity also slowed considerably: most traders had wrapped up orders and suspended operations for the duration of the festival, resulting in sparse procurement driven only by immediate needs. Inventory levels, reported by most traders at just 50–350 tons, are markedly below the levels seen at the same point last year.

Looking ahead, the narrative is shaped by supply dynamics in Uzbekistan, particularly for mung beans. While current supply volumes from Uzbekistan are satisfactory, a mood of seller restraint persists, with most importers preferring to hold onto stock. As the seasonal holiday draws to a close and more tradable sources come to market, industry consensus is clear: over 90% of market actors expect price stability to continue in the immediate term. For domestic sprouting beans, prices have also shown resilience, remaining steady for the week according to industry monitoring.

📈 Prices and Market Sentiment

Product	Origin	Type	FOB Price (EUR/t)	Change (WoW)	Market Sentiment
Mung beans	CN	Organic	1.60	+0.02	Stable, Slight Upward Bias
Mung beans	CN	3.8 mm up	1.49	0.00	Stable
Kidney beans	CN	Large White	2.30	0.00	Stable
Kidney beans	BR	Dark Red	1.41	-0.01	Marginally Weak
Kidney beans	BR	Brown Eye	1.36	-0.01	Marginally Weak
Kidney beans	GB	White	1.34	-0.01	Marginally Weak

🌍 Supply & Demand Drivers

• Supply: During the Spring Festival, farmer willingness to sell was low, resulting in limited tradable stocks. Most inventories remain significantly lower than at this time last year (main range: 50–350 tons per trader).
• Demand: Downstream procurement enthusiasm is subdued; buyers only engage for immediate needs. The majority of orders finished before the holiday, and many traders entered a pause in operations.
• Trends: More circulating supply is expected as holiday conditions end. Despite this, most participants (90%+) expect price stability overall.
• International Context: Uzbekistan’s new mung bean crop supplies are adequate, but most importers are reticent, favoring a holding pattern on inventory.

📊 Fundamentals

• Inventories: Stocks remain tight across the majority of traders, notably lower than last year at this time.
• Market Thickness: Activity is thin with most traders on hiatus until after the holiday.
• Seasonality Effects: Post-holiday logistics and increasing supply should see improved liquidity in coming weeks.
• Price Consensus: Virtually all market actors anticipate stable prices in both domestic and import segments for the week ahead.

⛅ Weather & Regional Impact

• China: Seasonally cold but generally normal for this period; no major weather disruptions reported impacting supply or harvest logistics. As holiday restrictions ease, field activity and logistics are expected to resume rapidly.
• Uzbekistan: No major reports of weather-related threats to recent mung bean harvests. Stable growing conditions have supported a good supply base, though seller restraint may limit effective spot availability in the near term.

🌏 Global Production & Stock Overview

• China: Key producer and consumer. Stocks at traders’ hands are low—supporting prices in the short term.
• Uzbekistan: A major supplier of mung beans into China and global markets, with new-crop exports mostly stable but buyers cautious and slow to sell.
• South America & Europe: Supplementary suppliers of kidney and other beans; Brazilian and UK offers remain competitive but have shown mild week-on-week weakening in price.

📆 Trading Outlook & Recommendations

• Holiday-end will unlock more supply in China—expect more liquidity, but prices likely to remain steady given low inventory and measured demand recovery.
• International importers (notably for mung beans) are cautious; sellers continue to hold back, giving the market a stable foundation.
• Traders and importers should prepare for potential supply increases in the next two weeks, with price stability the dominant expectation—watch for any surprise shifts in demand.
• Short-term downside for international offers (Brazil, UK) is limited, barring fresh demand weakness or sudden supply shocks.

🔮 3-day Regional Price Forecast

Product	Region	Forecast (3-day)	Sentiment
Mung beans	China (Beijing FOB)	1.49–1.60 EUR/t	Stable
Kidney beans	Brazil (Brasília FOB)	1.36–1.41 EUR/t	Stable to Slight Weakness
Kidney beans	UK (London FOB)	1.34 EUR/t	Stable