Sri Lanka’s US soybean meal imports head above 300,000 tonnes
Sri Lanka imported roughly 255,000 tonnes of US soybean meal in 2025, with shipments on track to exceed 300,000 tonnes this year. Container logistics, feed-quality requirements and the absence of domestic soybean production underpin the trade.
Container shipments approach a new threshold
Sri Lanka imported roughly 255,000 tonnes of US soybean meal in shipping containers in 2025, according to the Daily FT. Shipments are on track to exceed 300,000 tonnes this year after rising steadily, making the country the world’s largest containerized market for US soybean meal by US Soybean Export Council data.
The scale is notable for a country of 22 million people that produces no soybeans of its own. Soybean meal is a central protein input for Sri Lanka’s animal-feed industry, which manufactures around 1.3 million tonnes of feed annually and relies almost entirely on imported protein meal. That leaves feed mills and poultry producers directly exposed to the reliability, specifications and delivery schedules of foreign suppliers.
Why meal arrives in containers
Sri Lankan regulations permit genetically modified soybean meal for animal feed only after processing; imports of whole genetically modified beans are not allowed. The rule favors purchases of ready-made meal rather than domestic crushing. The Daily FT also noted that the country’s preference for coconut oil reduces the incentive to import and crush whole soybeans for soybean oil.
Containers match the requirements of mid-sized feed mills because they allow smaller and more frequent purchases without committing a buyer to a full bulk vessel. This creates a market in which shipment flexibility can matter alongside the headline commodity price. For US exporters, the format provides access to buyers that might not have the storage, financing or consumption volume needed for bulk cargoes.
Kevin Roepke, Executive Director of the US Soybean Export Council, told the Daily FT that buyers also assess digestible amino acids, metabolizable energy and variability. USSEC markets US meal through its “4Ds”: naturally sun-dried, lower damage, higher digestibility and deforestation-free production. For feed formulators, consistent specifications can permit narrower safety margins and more predictable output from each tonne, although buyers must weigh those benefits against offers from cheaper origins.
Supply ties extend beyond the cargo
USSEC has supported the commercial relationship through farm visits, conferences and technical programs. Sri Lankan feed mills and poultry producers include multigenerational family businesses, while most US soybean farms are also family-owned operations. The council’s Soy Excellence Centre program has reached more than 31,000 participants in over 40 countries since 2019. Its India center, launched in February 2024, trained more than 500 professionals in its first year.
Sustainability labeling has also gained a foothold. New Anthoney’s Farms signed a licensing agreement in July 2023, becoming the first company in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa to use the Sustainable US Soy label on packaging. USSEC says 16 Sri Lankan poultry producers and feed mills now hold licenses for that mark or the Fed with Sustainable US Soy mark, although not all have completed its rollout on packaging.
The meal trade runs against a much larger flow of Sri Lankan goods to the United States. The Daily FT reported estimated US goods imports from Sri Lanka of $3.1 billion in 2025, compared with US exports to Sri Lanka of just under $370 million. The United States was Sri Lanka’s largest export market, ahead of the United Kingdom and India. Soybean meal therefore remains a relatively small counterflow, but exceeding 300,000 tonnes would deepen an established supply link that is important to Sri Lanka’s feed and poultry industries.
