Brazil exported 86.83 million tonnes of soybeans last year, 5.3 per cent more than the year before, and China bought almost 60 million tonnes of those exports, according to the Brazilian association of cereal exporters, Anec.

Anec says in its annual report, published last week, that Brazilian exporters of soybeans were quick to respond to stricter rules in China covering chemical residues, genetically modified organisms, levels of protein and quality.

Anec says data it collected show that Brazilian soybean production reached 137.1 million tonnes last season, the most in any season yet.

Brazilian exports of soybean meal grew by 0.4 per cent last year to 16.9 million tonnes, the most since 2011, Anec says.