In Portugal, the animal feed industry began to use soybean during the sixties. A crushing capacity was created in 1975, expanding rapidly and exporting soybean oij and cake. Expansion in this sector which originated in Spain and secured its place on the world market, had lead to the development of an important equipment industry. The use of soybean oil was delayed in Portugal because of the resistance of olive oil and colonial oilseed interests. But the soybean oil entered the competition and has remplaced the traditional sources. This evolution increased the dependancy and created a new external articulation where the United States has the major position. The introduction of soybean is no longer questioned to day because it has induced the growth of the animal feed industry and given raw material to fish conserveries and margarine industry. Internal intervention mechanisms (exchange control, foreign transfers...) have distorted the price formation and the liberalization of imports has not reached its objective. Reforms are necessary in order to obtain better competitivness, especially for the entry in the European Economic Community.
