Brazil could produce 4 million tons more soybean meal if biodiesel blending resumes in 2023

Next year, if the content of the biodiesel blend with commercial diesel remains at 10% (B10), the expectation is that soybean meal production will be approximately 39 million tons, a volume similar to that recorded in the current harvest ( 38 million). However, if the original schedule of the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) is resumed - B14 in January and February and B15 from March to December - the bran produced could reach 43 million tons.

Biodiesel production stimulates the processing of soybeans as the oilseed is its main raw material and adds high value to the production chain. Biodiesel indirectly benefits the production of animal protein, which requires a large amount of soybean meal in its production process.

According to the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE), each additional percentage point of biodiesel in the mixture generates greater bran production. To give you an idea, from 2018 to 2022, 90 million tons of additional soybeans were crushed due to biodiesel. This represents around 16% of the total processed in the period (502 million tons).

The resumption of biodiesel blending in 2023 could also increase soybean oil production by more than one million tons, reaching 11,3 million. If B10 is maintained, this volume should remain at 10,1.

The data was presented by the executive president of ABIOVE, André Nassar, at the seminar “The externalities of the National Biodiesel Policy: challenges and expectations of the sector”, promoted by the Mixed Parliamentary Front for Biodiesel (FPBio), last Tuesday (22), at Chamber of Deputies (Brasília).

The event was attended by members of the new government's transition team, who expressed support for the resumption of the mixture for next year, as well as parliamentarians linked to agribusiness, representatives of the main associations in the biodiesel sector (ABIOVE, APROBIO and UBRABIO) and other important bodies and companies, such as ABRA, ABRASP, ANP, INMET, MAPA, OLEOPLAN, UNICAFES, among others.