August’s market was mixed across products. In amino acids, Chinese 98% lysine offers edged up late in the month while 70% lysine and threonine were broadly steady. Methionine moved the other way: manufacturers were shifting inventory, trade offers softened, and transactions remained subdued. China’s lysine exports had grown 7.3% year on year in January–July, although July shipments fell 6.8% month on month.
Vitamin A and E were supported by production-side constraints. Some vitamin A manufacturers paused quotations, while many vitamin E producers were in maintenance and held offers firm. The latest customs data available in August showed July vitamin exports down 18.6% month on month, despite a 12.5% year-to-date increase. Vitamin A shipments fell 32% from June. A Chinese vitamin A brand also made its first entry into the European market during August.
Trade policy was another defining factor. On August 18, the U.S. International Trade Commission found that Chinese L-lysine imports materially injured U.S. industry, triggering antidumping and countervailing-duty orders. On August 7, it voted to continue investigations into Chinese choline salts. Separately, the August China FOB benchmark for choline chloride was about 17% lower than July’s.
For threonine, reports pointed to additional Chinese capacity potentially starting in the fourth quarter, with further projects planned by major producers—an outlook that could intensify competition into 2027.
