Soybeans ease after rally, market awaits Chinese purchases

• Chicago soybean futures fall on lack of Chinese buying
• Ample supplies from freshly harvested U.S. crops add pressure

By Naveen Thukral

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Chicago soybeans fell for the first time in three sessions on Tuesday, as the market came under pressure amid a lack of large-scale purchases by China, the world's biggest importer of the oilseed, despite earlier announcements from U.S. officials.

Corn and wheat prices also dropped.

"We have yet to see China make big soybean purchases from the U.S.," said one Singapore-based trader. "Prices are expected to remain under pressure."

The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Sv1 fell 0.2% to $11.28-1/4 a bushel, as of 0352 GMT, corn Cv1 gave up 0.2% to $4.28-3/4 a bushel and wheat Wv1 lost 0.3% to $5.34-1/4 a bushel.

China has begun modest purchases of U.S. farm products after a meeting of leaders of both countries, but traders still await significant soybean buys after the White House said Beijing pledged to buy 12 million tons by the year-end.

U.S. harvest of soybeans and corn was nearly complete as of Sunday, with soybean harvest 96% complete and the corn harvest 92% finished, according to a Reuters poll of nine analysts.

Market players were also adjusting positions ahead of crop supply/demand reports due on Friday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will include the agency's first U.S. and global crop estimates since mid-September.

In a poll released after the close of the CBOT, analysts surveyed by Reuters on average expected the USDA to lower its U.S. corn yield estimate to 184.0 bushels per acre (bpa), from 186.7 in its last estimate released on September 12.

Analysts pegged the U.S. soybean yield at 53.1 bpa, below USDA's September 12 estimate of 53.5 bpa.