Biodiesel from Oilseeds in the Canadian Prairies and Supply-Chain Models for Exploring Production Cost Scenarios: A Review

Table 1

Harvested area, yield, and total production of the two main oilseeds grown in the Canadian Prairies (canola and flaxseed) for 2009/10 and forecasts for 2010/11 and 2011/12 cropping years (i.e., August-July) (reproduced from available 2011 oilseed and biodiesel production market analysis reports and forecasts^†) (k denotes 10³, t metric tonnes, and M 10⁶).

Oilseed crop	Variable	2009/10 actual	2010/11 forecast	2011/12 forecast
Canola	Area seeded (kt)	6,556	6,806	7,500
	Area harvested (kt)	6,105	6,514	7,368
	Yield (t/ha)	2.03	1.82	1.75
	Production (kt)	12.4	11.9	12.9
	Imports (kt)	128	250	125
	Total supply (kt)	14,206	14,239	14,125
	Average price ($/t)	426	540–580	500–540
Flaxseed	Area seeded (kt)	692	374	635
	Area harvested (kt)	623	353	630
	Yield (t/ha)	1.49	1.20	1.35
	Production (t)	930	423	850
	Imports	6	5	5
	Total supply	1,165	717	905
	Average price ($/t)	424	520–550	475–525
Biodiesel	Feedstock use (kt)	160	175	475
	Production (ML)	140	158	475
	Imports (ML)	56	57	145
	Exports (ML)	70	70	70
	Number of facilities (conventional blend capacity) (ML)	9 (186)	11 (207)	14 (558)

^†http://www.agr.gc.ca/ under “Crops Market Information” and Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN). Annual report for biofuels in Canada, 2011 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service.