USDA Offers Infrastructure, Transportation Study

USDA-AMS recently published a study, “The Impact of Infrastructure and Transportation Costs on U.S. Soybean Market Share: An Updated Analysis from 1992-2017.”

The report examines new transportation routes that have emerged in Brazil and updates previous data and analysis reports the USDA Grain Transportation Report.

Although the United States produces the largest volume of soybeans in the world, the U.S. market share of soybean world trade has declined from 66% in 1992 to 40% in 2017.

Results suggest the U.S. world market share could decline an additional 12% points assuming there are no significant improvements in U.S. transportation infrastructure serving the soybean supply chain, from farm to port.

A decline of 1% in the U.S. soybean market share is equivalent to more than half a billion dollars lost in export sales.