Brazil makes rare soybean sales to U.S. - shipping data

By Ana Mano

SAO PAULO, May 31 (Reuters) - Brazil is exporting a combined 120,000 tonnes of soybeans to buyers in the United States, shipping data seen by Reuters showed, as the price of the oilseed in the world's largest soybean supplier is a bargain even for importers in the No. 2 producing nation.

According to data from Williams, a shipping agency, dated May 26, three vessels loaded with the Brazilian soybeans will leave ports in the north of the South American nation between June 4 and June 11.

The purchases reflect Brazil's glowing clout as an agriculture exporter. The country has surpassed the United States in soy and, more recently, corn exports.

The data identifies the buyers as chicken producer Perdue Farms and global grains merchant Archer-Daniels-Midland Co . The Floriana, to be loaded with 32,000 tonnes of Brazilian soybeans, will be loaded at a Cargill terminal at the port of Santarem.

Cargill, Perdue and ADM did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The 120,000 tonnes of Brazilian soybean imports to the United States would be the largest since 2021, when nearly 178,000 tonnes arrived in May and June, according to U.S. Census Bureau trade data.

If additional sales are made, U.S. purchases of Brazilian soybeans this year could be the largest since 2014 when imports hit a record 1.048 million tonnes.

Analysts had pointed out the economics of the U.S. importing soy made sense, as Brazil harvests more than 154 million tonnes of soybeans this season, its biggest crop ever.

The cost of grain not including freight in Brazil is $1.09 per bushel cheaper than U.S. beans for near term shipment, John Stewart and Associates wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday, explaining imports therefore made sense for some East Coast crushers. (Reporting by Ana Mano in Sao Paulo, Karl Plume and Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Aurora Ellis)