German biodiesel exports up in 2013

German biodiesel exports have rocketed this year, according to the German Federal Statistical Office (GFSO).

The GFSO puts foreign sales between January and September 2013 at 1.1 million tonnes (330 million gallons), almost 14% up on the same period in 2012. Imports have dropped by one quarter from the previous year, to 446,833 tonnes (134.1 million gallons). Export surplus amounted to over 672,000 tonnes (201.7 million gallons), significantly more than the previous year's 264,000 tonnes (79.25 million gallons).

The EU countries continue to be the leading recipients of German biodiesel, receiving around 89% of the total quantity.

The Netherlands, importing more than 355,000 tonnes (106.6 million gallons), around one third of German deliveries to the EU, is the biggest German importer, followed by Poland and Austria, at around 113,000 tonnes (nearly 34 million gallons) each, and France, at 76,000 tonnes (22.8 million gallons).

2013 was also the first year that time Germany delivered nearly 100,000 tonnes (30 million gallons) of biodiesel to theUS, compared to previous years' exports which averaged around 500 tonnes (150,000 gallons).