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During the first four months of the year, Vietnam spent more than USD 2.6 billion on importing corn, wheat, and soybeans, a sharp rise from the same period last year as domestic demand for livestock feed and food processing inputs increased.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first four months of this year Vietnam imported nearly 4 million tonnes of wheat, worth over USD 1 billion. This was up 66% in volume and 60% in value year-on-year.
Corn imports were also large, reaching 4.4 million tonnes, valued at over USD 1.1 billion, up 49% in volume and 43% in value. Meanwhile, soybean imports reached 1.1 million tonnes, worth USD 542 million, up 61% in volume and 70% in value.
Despite higher import volumes, world prices for many cereals were below levels a year earlier. The average import price for wheat in the four months was around USD 255.4 per tonne, down 3.7%. Corn fell 3.6% to USD 248.8 per tonne. Soybeans rose 5.2% to USD 475.9 per tonne.
According to the latest USDA report, global corn and soybean supplies for the 2025-2026 marketing year remain ample due to large production in Brazil and the United States. This is helping keep cereal prices in a low range and supports Vietnamese firms to increase imports and stockpile feed inputs.
Brazil and Argentina are currently the two largest corn suppliers to Vietnam, accounting for nearly 80% of market share. For soybeans, the United States and Brazil account for nearly 90% of import value. Australia, Brazil, and Canada are the major wheat suppliers.
According to importing firms, demand for feed and seafood processing inputs stands at almost 30 million tonnes per year. Of these, corn and wheat are the main energy sources, while soybeans are a key protein ingredient in feed production.
In addition, demand from the processed foods sector—such as instant noodles, confectionery, edible oil, and soy milk—has risen rapidly, pushing up imports of these items.
As demand continues to grow, domestic supply remains constrained. The area planted with corn and soybeans has continued to shrink as farmers switch to higher-value crops. Wheat, in particular, is not commercially producible in Vietnam due to climate conditions.
According to the Vietnam Poultry and Feed Association, imported inputs currently make up a large share of production costs in the animal feed industry. Wheat is almost entirely dependent on imports, while domestic corn and soybeans only partially meet processing needs.
Heavy reliance on imported inputs makes the livestock sector vulnerable to fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices or global logistics costs. Since late February, escalating Middle East conflicts have raised concerns that prices of goods and shipping costs could rise again. As a result, many firms have stepped up imports to stockpile inputs for the remaining months of the year.
Analysts say that in the near term Vietnam will find it hard to reduce reliance on imported inputs due to land stock, yield, and cultivation efficiency constraints. This implies the domestic livestock sector will continue to be affected by movements in the global agricultural commodity market.
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