German biodiesel exports, imports increase in 1st half of 2026

German foreign trade in biodiesel has picked up pace in 2026, with both exports and imports gaining momentum.

The Netherlands, with its Rotterdam and Amsterdam ports, remains the central hub.

According to data from the German Federal Statistical Office, foreign trade in biodiesel has increased in 2026.

In the first half of 2026, biodiesel exports grew just over 3.4 percent compared with the same period of the previous year, rising to 1.4 million metric tons.

Similar growth was recorded in imports, with Germany purchasing 851,200 tons of biodiesel from abroad, approximately 3.5 percent more than a year earlier.

The Netherlands remains Germany’s primary trading partner, serving as a hub for overseas imports via ports such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

According to analysis conducted by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), major deliveries also came from Malaysia and Belgium.

Whereas Malaysia’s shipments to the EU market fell 30.2 percent, those from Belgium rose approximately 69.6 percent.

EU member states continue to be the main recipients of German biodiesel exports, particularly the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Austria.

While the Netherlands increased its imports 22.8 percent year-on-year, Polish imports declined approximately 20.3 percent.

German biodiesel exports to neighboring EU countries stabilize prices for rapeseed oil and, consequently, producer prices for rapeseed.

The Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e. V. (UFOP) has emphasized this effect, referring to current reports on this year’s rapeseed harvest.

The high rapeseed prices have partly offset the regionally disappointing harvest.

UFOP has forecast prices at this level for the coming season, as EU member states are required to implement the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) in 2026 and 2027, which provides for higher biofuel mandates.

The association holds that the rise in hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) imports to at least 325,000 tons in the first half of the year confirms just how strong demand for rapeseed is as a consequence of biofuel demand.

These figures are not included in the Destatis statistics.

UFOP has pointed out that the U.S., Canada and Brazil shape their national biofuels policies as active instruments for supporting agricultural prices and incomes.