German biodiesel exports hit a new high

In Germany, UFOP reports that with exports amounting to approximately 2.33 million tons and an export surplus of approximately 0.9 million tons, Germany underlines its importance for the production and marketing of biodiesel in the European Union. In 2020, Germany imported and exported more biodiesel than ever before.

German biodiesel imports totalled approximately 1.45 million tonnes. The Netherlands were once more the by far most important recipient and exporting country, with approximately 1 million tonnes and 0.7 million tonnes respectively.

According to investigations conducted by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), larger import volumes also came from Belgium, Malaysia and Poland. The growth in imports from France is especially noticeable. At 74,000 tonnes, the country more than tripled its biodiesel shipments to the German market year-on-year. Whereas imports from the Netherlands declined approximately 2 per cent to 700,000 tonnes, those from Malaysia dropped around 9 per cent to 139,000 tonnes. Germany supplied a record quantity of 955,000 tonnes to the Netherlands in 2020. This translates to a 12 per cent rise on the year. German shipments to Belgium accounted for 15 percent of total exports in 2020. The country imported around 356,000 tonnes. This was up around 35 per cent year-on-year.

The UFOP has pointed out that the statistics published take into account exclusively biodiesel. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is not included. In this context, the UFOP has emphasised the urgent need to adjust the information published in the official statistics. According to the association, as a consequence of the increasing importance of HVO, biodiesel and HVO data should be captured and listed separately to facilitate greater market transparency. The reason given is that biodiesel and HVO are different fuels, each with its own specific fuel standard.

The next Evaluation and Progress Report of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food will show which quantities of biodiesel and HVO – listed by feedstock type and origin – were actually credited towards the 6 per cent GHG reduction target in 2020. The UFOP expects the report to be published at the end of October 2021.