Round Table on Responsible Soy Association

Soybeans are cultivated on both large-scale and small-scale (family) farms. At present, most of the world’s soy producers are located in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, China and India. In 2010, soy fields in those five countries together covered an area almost the size of Venezuela, producing ninety percent of soybean worldwide.
With 270,000 square kilometers (km²) of soy fields within its borders, the USA topped the list. Following in its footsteps were Brazil (230,000 km²), Argentine (190,000 km²), China (110,000 km²) and India (60,000 km²). Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay are important for soy production as well.
Soy cultivation has grown rapidly over the last decade, mostly so in Latin America. Over the next two decades, demand for soy will continue to increase when growing numbers of people, many of them in China, will be able to afford food products that are rich in protein.