Producer
COFCO International Ltd.
COFCO International Ltd. (Geneva Switzerland; wholly-owned subsidiary of COFCO Corporation — Chinese state-owned grain conglomerate; ~$40B revenue FY2023) is China's primary vehicle for controlling South American agricultural commodity supply chains. COFCO International was formed through COFCO Corporation's 2014-2015 acquisition of Nidera (Dutch grain trader) and Noble Agri (Hong Kong-based South American agricom) — giving the Chinese state direct soybean origination in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. COFCO International crushes soybeans in China (Tianjin, Qingdao, Zhangjiagang) — primarily processing imported Brazilian and Argentine soybeans. COFCO Corporation's domestic Chinese crush operations are among the largest in China, processing an estimated 25-30 million MT of soybeans annually for China's domestic soybean meal demand. COFCO International's South American origination assets allow China's state-owned grain apparatus to originate, ship, and crush soybeans entirely within Chinese state-controlled or state-linked entities — reducing dependence on ABCD Western grain traders. This vertical integration from Brazilian farm to Chinese crusher is the culmination of China's 'grain security' strategy implemented since 2014.
7
Inputs supplied
4
Goods downstream
4
Facilities
0
Stories
What they make
7 inputs COFCO International Ltd. supplies
Click an input to see every good that depends on it, every country that produces it, and every other company in the supply chain.
agricultural
Black Sea Wheat (Russia & Ukraine Exports) →
agricultural
Corn Grain (Swine Feed — Primary Energy) →
agricultural
Soybean Meal (Swine Feed — Primary Protein) →
agricultural
Soybeans →
agricultural
Rapeseed / canola seed →
agricultural
Soybean Meal (Animal Feed Protein) →
agricultural
Sunflower seeds →
Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something COFCO International Ltd. makes — pick one to see the full supply chain.
Where they make it
4 facilities
COFCO Grain & Oils Tianjin Soybean Crushing Complex →
CNTianjin · processing
COFCO Grain and Oils (Beijing) Tianjin soybean crushing complex — one of COFCO's primary import-oriented crushing facilities on the Bohai Bay coast. Tianjin port (one of China's largest import container and bulk terminals) receives imported soybeans from Brazil and the US; COFCO's crush facilities process the beans into soybean meal (fed to Chinese pigs and poultry) and soybean oil (for Chinese cooking). China imports ~100 million tonnes of soybeans annually, almost entirely to crush domestically — the largest single-commodity import trade flow in the world. COFCO's network of coastal crushing facilities (Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Fangchenggang) is designed to receive Capesize or VLOC-class vessels directly from Santos/Paranaguá (Brazil) and Pacific Northwest/Gulf (US). A disruption to any major Chinese port's soybean receiving capacity would cascade immediately into soybean meal availability for China's 440 million hog population. Source: COFCO International Annual Report 2024; USDA FAS China Oilseeds Annual 2024; ANEC/Secex Brazil soybean export data.
COFCO International Grain Origination Elevator (Iowa/Illinois Corn Belt) →
USIowa · warehouse
COFCO International operates grain origination elevators in the US Corn Belt (Iowa, Illinois) acquired through its purchases of Noble Agri and Nidera grain assets. These facilities provide COFCO — and ultimately the Chinese state — with direct origination access to US corn production. COFCO uses these elevators to originate corn for export to China's pork sector. US CFIUS oversight of these assets has been discussed in national security contexts but no divestiture has been ordered. Source: https://www.cofcointernational.com/businesses/grains/
COFCO International Tianjin Soybean Crushing Complex →
CNTianjin · processing
COFCO Corporation's Tianjin soybean crushing complex is one of China's largest single-site soybean processing facilities, processing imported soybeans (primarily Brazilian origin) arriving by bulk vessel at Tianjin port. The facility produces soybean meal for distribution to Chinese swine and poultry feed producers across North China (Hebei, Henan, Liaoning). China imports approximately 100-110 million MT of soybeans annually — almost all processed domestically into soybean meal, making Chinese crush capacity the world's largest. COFCO's Tianjin facility processes soybeans originating from COFCO International's South American origination network — a fully state-controlled supply chain from Brazilian farm to Chinese feed mill. Source: https://www.cofcointernational.com/who-we-are/
COFCO Shandong Soybean Crushing Cluster →
CNShandong · processing
Part of COFCO's domestic Chinese soybean crushing network; China crushes ~102 MMT/yr of soybean meal largely for domestic poultry and hog feed; Shandong is one of the main Chinese soybean importing and crushing provinces; receives Brazilian and US soybeans at Qingdao and Tianjin ports
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map — where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
South American Origination
45%Grain Trading & Export
30%Processing & Crushing
15%Distribution & Port Logistics
10%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains — chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Concentration2014
COFCO International's acquisition of Noble Agri (2014, $1.5B) and Nidera (2014, $1.2B) gave the Chinese state direct ownership of US Corn Belt grain elevators and South American grain origination infrastructure. Chinese state-owned entities now originate US corn at the farm level — purchasing grain directly from Iowa and Illinois farmers through COFCO-owned country elevators. This arrangement allows the Chinese government to acquire US feed corn supply chain intelligence (pricing, inventory, farm-level production data) through its grain trading subsidiary's normal commercial operations. CFIUS reviewed the Noble Agri and Nidera acquisitions but imposed only limited conditions. The result is that the Chinese state has embedded commercial grain trading infrastructure inside the US Corn Belt — giving Chinese entities advance knowledge of US corn production, storage, and export flows that is unavailable to US competitors.
Reuters ↗Origin2023
COFCO International was assembled in 2014-2015 when COFCO Corporation (China's largest state-owned grain company, founded 1952 by the Chinese Communist government to manage grain distribution) acquired Nidera BV (a Dutch grain trader with major South American origination) for ~$1.5B and Noble Agri (a South American origination platform carved out of Noble Group) for ~$1.5B. Before these acquisitions, China's soybean imports flowed primarily through the four Western ABCD grain trading houses (ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus) -- Western multinational traders controlled the origination and shipping of the soybeans that China desperately needed for its livestock industry. COFCO's acquisitions replicated ABCD capabilities within a Chinese state enterprise, allowing China to originate soybeans directly in Brazil and Argentina without relying on Western intermediaries. The acquisitions were explicitly framed by the Chinese government as a food security strategy to reduce Western control over China's agricultural supply chain.
COFCO International Ltd. ↗