CHICAGO: Chicago Board of Trade soyabean futures closed lower on Thursday on technical selling, including profit-taking after a three-session advance, and easing concerns about South American soya supplies as the delayed Brazilian harvest gets under way, traders said.

CBOT March soyabeans settled down 21-1/2 cents at $13.53-1/4 per bushel.

CBOT March soyameal fell more than 2%, ending down $9.50 at $427.10 per short ton, while March soyaoil ended up 0.13 cent at 44.65 cents per pound.

CBOT soyaoil drew support from expectations of tightening global vegetable oil supplies.

The US Department of Agriculture reported export sales of US old-crop soyabeans in the week to Jan. 21 at 466,000 tonnes, below trade expectations, but sales of new-crop soyabeans topped expectations at 1.564 million tonnes.

Commodity funds hold a net long position in CBOT soyabean futures, leaving the market vulnerable to bouts of long liquidation.