Argentina accounts for almost two thirds of EU biodiesel imports

In Germany, UFOP reports that biodiesel imports from Argentina have increased considerably over the past several months. In contrast, imports of soybean oil as feedstock from Argentina have been virtually non-existent. The reverse trend can be seen in regard to imports from Indonesia.

Since EU import duties were lowered in September 2017, deliveries of Argentine SME (soy methyl ester) have been on a steady increase. By the end of March 2018, they amounted to 915,983 tonnes, which translates to 62 per cent of all EU biodiesel imports. Because of anti-dumping duties, there had not been any biodiesel shipments from Argentina for four years. The EU imported 203,002 tonnes of PME (palm oil methyl ester) from Malaysia, 160,200 tonnes from China, and only 26,700  tonnes from Indonesia. Most Argentine biodiesel shipments went to the Netherlands and Spain. Deliveries of Argentine soybean oil in the same period was negligible at 155 tonnes. These figures underline the success of the Argentine government’s export promotion policy in support of its domestic biodiesel industry, the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP) has noted.