If Pakistan now admits GM soybeans, who still buys West African beans?

Crushers and feed groups whose customers want non-GM meal or oil. GM soybean meal imports were refused in May 2025, so a Pakistani feed mill that imports meal buys non-GM, and a crusher that supplies it can only make non-GM meal from non-GM beans. The bean also suits a plant that runs 500 to 2,000 t a month and would rather open a letter of credit for 50 containers than for a Panamax. Customs values these beans against the USD 625/t C&F floor of Valuation Ruling 1910/2024, so the PCR certificate is also a customs document.

Which West African origins can actually ship beans?

Togo and Nigeria without an origin permit; Ghana only against a permit from the Soya Bean Export Permit Committee, since the grain export restriction of December 2024 was still in force in November 2025; Benin not at all as raw beans since 1 April 2024, though Beninese meal moves. Burkina Faso's crop is landlocked and reaches the sea through Lomé, and an increasing share is crushed at home. An offer of 'West African beans' is checked against the origin on the phytosanitary certificate before it is passed on.

Containers. The 2024 trade moved in 20 ft boxes of 20 to 22 t, bagged or bulk-lined, in lots of 20 to 100 boxes, because aggregation in Togo and Nigeria is village by village and a bulk stem would sit in tropical warehouses for months. A Handysize parcel is possible only where an aggregator can load from a dry, ventilated store at Lomé or Lagos within weeks of harvest, and the desk prices it as a separate question.

What does the buyer's document set look like?

A DPP import permit raised on the Pakistan Single Window before the bill of lading date, the origin phytosanitary certificate, a non-GM PCR certificate from an accredited inspector issued before sailing, certificate of origin, and the exporter's own permit where the origin requires one. Clearance is document-strict, container free time is short, and a wrong botanical name on the phyto costs detention, so the desk checks the set before the box is stuffed.

What are the quality risks on this lane?

Moisture and trash. Beans stuffed above about 12% moisture sweat on a 30 to 45 day equatorial transit and arrive caked with rising free fatty acid; hand-threshed lots carry 3 to 5% sand and pod unless screened, which wears expeller screws. Contracts therefore cap moisture at 12% and foreign matter at 2% or tighter, with independent pre-shipment sampling and weight deductions for excess.

Indian Ocean · Pakistan

West African Non-GM Soybeans CFR Karachi and Port Qasim, Pakistan

Togo, Nigeria and Ghana filled the Pakistani crush when GM beans could not clear; the non-GM lane is still open, by the container

Pakistan declared 1,039,400 t of HS 1201 soybean imports in 2024 at an average USD 573/t: Ukraine 273,300 t, Nigeria 257,600 t at USD 556, Benin 217,500 t at USD 570, Togo 127,200 t at USD 553, Ethiopia 71,500 t and Ghana 45,400 t at USD 569, so African origins were 69% of the beans. Soybean meal ran to 284,100 t, led by Nigeria (117,600 t), Benin (86,600 t) and Togo (24,000 t). That pattern was made by regulation. Bulk GM cargoes were held at Port Qasim in late 2022 under the Biosafety Rules 2005, GM bean imports were approved again in October 2024 and resumed in February 2025, and on 25 May 2026 the National Biosafety Committee removed the sunset clause so approved GM events clear without a cut-off date; GM soybean meal imports were refused in May 2025 and imported meal remains non-GM. USDA counted about 500,000 t of non-GM beans and 160,000 t of non-GM meal into Pakistan in the 2023-24 marketing year and forecasts about 2.4 million t of bean imports in 2025-26, most of that now GM bulk from the Americas into the FAP grain terminal at Port Qasim, which draws 15.6 m, takes ships to 75,000 t and holds 74,000 t of silo. The West African bean is therefore no longer the only bean that clears; it is the bean for a crusher that sells non-GM meal to the poultry integrators or non-GM oil, and Customs values it against a published floor, Valuation Ruling 1910/2024 at USD 625/t C&F for non-GM soybean seed of any origin, with 0% customs duty and 2% additional customs duty under SRO 1151(I)/2025. The origins have moved too. Benin has prohibited raw soybean exports since 1 April 2024 under Decree 2022-568 to feed its own crushers, so 'Benin soya' is not offered as beans. Ghana restricted soybean and grain exports under L.I. 2467 from December 2024, still in force in November 2025, so Ghanaian beans move only against an export permit from the Soya Bean Export Permit Committee. Togo produced just over 260,000 t in 2024-25, targets 500,000 t, and opened its 2025-26 season on 23 October 2025 with a farm-gate price of 220 XOF/kg and an agreement between the producer federation, the processors and the exporters' association ANCES on volumes, transport and inspection points; Lomé is its port and also the outlet for Burkina Faso's 129,000 t crop, of which a growing share is crushed at home. Nigeria's exports were forecast by USDA at 212,000 t for 2024-25 on demand for its non-GM beans and a weak naira, through Apapa and Tin Can.

CBIL brokers West African non-GM soybeans CFR Karachi and Port Qasim in 20 ft containers of 20 to 22 t, in 50 kg bags or bulk-lined boxes, in lots of 20 to 100 boxes per bill of lading, with Handysize bulk considered only where an aggregator can build and store a stem at Lomé or Lagos without the heating and mould that tropical warehousing brings. Each lot ships with the origin phytosanitary certificate, a non-GM PCR test certificate from SGS, Cotecna, Bureau Veritas or Intertek issued before sailing, certificate of origin and the buyer's DPP import permit raised on the Pakistan Single Window before the bill of lading date; the Ghanaian export permit or Togolese export authorisation is part of the document set, not an afterthought. Contracts fix moisture at 12% maximum and foreign matter at 2% or tighter, because hand-threshed beans carry sand that wears expellers and a wet stuffing sweats in a 30 to 45 day transit through Colombo or Salalah. Payment is a sight letter of credit from a Pakistani bank or documents against payment with a deposit that covers return freight. A requirement that names the crusher or feed mill, the monthly box count, non-GM meal or oil as the end product, the discharge terminal and the LC bank gets a firm offer from a Togolese or Nigerian aggregator; one without them gets a question first.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices Handysize and container-lot dry cargo on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Pakistan soybean imports, 2024: 1,039,400 t at USD 573/t · Nigeria 257,600 t · Benin 217,500 t · Togo 127,200 t · Ethiopia 71,500 t · Ghana 45,400 t · African origins 69%
Rulebook, 2026: GM beans clear against approved events, sunset clause removed 25 May 2026 · GM meal refused May 2025 · non-GM beans valued at USD 625/t C&F floor (Ruling 1910/2024), 0% CD + 2% ACD
Origin controls: Benin raw beans banned since 1 Apr 2024 · Ghana permit-only under L.I. 2467 since Dec 2024 · Togo and Nigeria open, Togo season opened 23 Oct 2025 at 220 XOF/kg
Form and lot: 20 ft containers, 20–22 t, 50 kg bags or bulk-lined · 20–100 boxes per B/L · transit 30–45 days via Colombo or Salalah
Discharge: Karachi container terminals or Port Qasim · FAP grain terminal 15.6 m, ships to 75,000 t, 74,000 t silos for bulk

Official trade data; sources listed below. Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

If Pakistan now admits GM soybeans, who still buys West African beans?: Crushers and feed groups whose customers want non-GM meal or oil. GM soybean meal imports were refused in May 2025, so a Pakistani feed mill that imports meal buys non-GM, and a crusher that supplies it can only make non-GM meal from non-GM beans. The bean also suits a plant that runs 500 to 2,000 t a month and would rather open a letter of credit for 50 containers than for a Panamax. Customs values these beans against the USD 625/t C&F floor of Valuation Ruling 1910/2024, so the PCR certificate is also a customs document.
Which West African origins can actually ship beans?: Togo and Nigeria without an origin permit; Ghana only against a permit from the Soya Bean Export Permit Committee, since the grain export restriction of December 2024 was still in force in November 2025; Benin not at all as raw beans since 1 April 2024, though Beninese meal moves. Burkina Faso's crop is landlocked and reaches the sea through Lomé, and an increasing share is crushed at home. An offer of 'West African beans' is checked against the origin on the phytosanitary certificate before it is passed on.
Containers or bulk?: Containers. The 2024 trade moved in 20 ft boxes of 20 to 22 t, bagged or bulk-lined, in lots of 20 to 100 boxes, because aggregation in Togo and Nigeria is village by village and a bulk stem would sit in tropical warehouses for months. A Handysize parcel is possible only where an aggregator can load from a dry, ventilated store at Lomé or Lagos within weeks of harvest, and the desk prices it as a separate question.
What does the buyer's document set look like?: A DPP import permit raised on the Pakistan Single Window before the bill of lading date, the origin phytosanitary certificate, a non-GM PCR certificate from an accredited inspector issued before sailing, certificate of origin, and the exporter's own permit where the origin requires one. Clearance is document-strict, container free time is short, and a wrong botanical name on the phyto costs detention, so the desk checks the set before the box is stuffed.
What are the quality risks on this lane?: Moisture and trash. Beans stuffed above about 12% moisture sweat on a 30 to 45 day equatorial transit and arrive caked with rising free fatty acid; hand-threshed lots carry 3 to 5% sand and pod unless screened, which wears expeller screws. Contracts therefore cap moisture at 12% and foreign matter at 2% or tighter, with independent pre-shipment sampling and weight deductions for excess.

Sources

UN Comtrade public preview API, reporter Pakistan (586), HS 1201 and 2304, imports 2024, desk pull of 28 Sep 2026 (LaycanDesk docs/research/pakistan-comtrade-stems-2024.md): 1201 world 1,039.4 kt USD 595.5 m at USD 573/t; Ukraine 273.3 kt at 601; Nigeria 257.6 kt at 556; Benin 217.5 kt at 570; Togo 127.2 kt at 553; Ethiopia 71.5 kt at 575; Ghana 45.4 kt at 569. 2304 world 284.1 kt at USD 521/t; Nigeria 117.6 kt; Benin 86.6 kt; Malawi 26.1 kt; Togo 24.0 kt; Ethiopia 13.4 kt.
ISAAA Crop Biotech Update, 27 May 2026, and The Nation (Pakistan), 25 May 2026: National Biosafety Committee amendments to the Biosafety Rules 2005 remove the 2024 sunset clause that capped GM imports at January 2027; approved events published online; importers need no separate licence for approved grain. Profit (Pakistan Today), 25 Oct 2024 and 15 May 2025: GM soybean import approval; GM soybean meal import refused. Feed Strategy and Profit, Dec 2022: about 130,000 t of soybeans held at Port Qasim pending biosafety approval.
USDA FAS Oilseeds and Products Update, Pakistan, PK2025-0017 (search summary read 30 Sep 2026): about 500,000 t non-GM soybeans and 160,000 t non-GM soybean meal imported in MY 2023-24; bean imports about 2.4 million t forecast for 2025-26.
Directorate General of Customs Valuation, Valuation Ruling 1910/2024 of 31 Oct 2024: non-GMO soybean seed, PCT 1201.9000, all origins, USD 0.625/kg C&F. FBR Pakistan Customs Tariff 2025-26: 1201.9000 customs duty 0%; S.R.O. 1151(I)/2025 of 30 Jun 2025: 2% additional customs duty. Both as verified in the desk's review of 28 Sep 2026.
Republic of Benin, Decree 2022-568 of 12 Oct 2022, in force 1 Apr 2024 (Global Trade Alert intervention 111316): raw soybean exports prohibited.
Graphic Online, 'Soya Value Chain Association wants ban on soybean export lifted', 5 Nov 2025: Export and Import (Restrictions on Exportation of Grains) Regulations 2022, L.I. 2467, replaced L.I. 2432; restriction on rice, maize and soya exports in force since December 2024; export permits through the Soya Bean Export Permit Committee. MOFA Ghana on L.I. 2432 (2020) and the seven-member committee.
Togo First, 26 Oct 2025, 'Togo launches 2025-2026 soybean season, sets farm-gate price at 220 XOF per kilo': 2024-25 production just over 260,000 t; 200,000 t marketing target; agreements of 23 Oct 2025 between FNCPS, ATTS and ANCES on volumes, prices, transport, inspection points. Milling MEA, 25 Aug 2025: 500,000 t target for 2025-26; Togo second-largest African organic exporter to the EU.
Ecofin Agency, Feb 2026 and Feed Business MEA, 4 Mar 2026: Burkina Faso soybean output 129,225 t in 2023-24, new crushing plants at Ouagadougou; Trading Economics on UN Comtrade: Burkina Faso soybean exports to Togo USD 3.13 million in 2024.
USDA FAS Oilseeds and Products Annual, Nigeria, NI2024-0006 (search summary): soybean exports forecast 212,000 t in MY 2024-25 from 7,000 t, on non-GM demand and naira devaluation. Nigerian outflow ports Apapa and Tin Can: desk dossier RESULT-2026-09-28-west-africa-soybeans-to-pakistan.md.
Port Qasim Authority facilities page and Express Tribune on the FAP terminal: 15.6 m depth, ships to 75,000 t, over 4 million t/yr, 74,000 t of silos; multipurpose berths 2-4 for ships above 35,000 dwt.
Container form, lot sizes, transit and payment practice: desk dossier RESULT-2026-09-28-west-africa-soybeans-to-pakistan.md, trade structure verified against desk files on 28 Sep 2026; moisture and foreign-matter limits are typical contract terms, fixed per lot.