Feedstock for the Bio-Based Economy

Presentation from Dr. Sarah Hickingbottom, LMC International Ltd. (UK). Market Trends, Availability and Price Developments for Sugar, Starch and Plant Oils – Live Coverage Tomorrow

Commercial bio-based materials will sink or swim on their ability to turn profits at scale. Once technologies, investment, off-take markets and scale-up processes are secured, the crunch questions become: “What price must I pay to supply my plant with feedstocks? How might this price change at different locations? And what is the price outlook for 2025… 2035… 2045?” We ask how the agricultural jigsaw might fit together in a world no longer consumed by inconceivable biofuel demand growth. And suggest that despite the bio-based chemical industry’s now considerable experience with biomass commodity markets – if you began to assess agricultural supply, demand and price dynamics after the year 2000, you may need to re-think your assumptions. The agricultural world is returning to its historical roots. LMC International has land, yield, volume and price data, by crop, dating back to 1950 and this presentation will highlight our assessment of the supply, demand and price dynamics set to drive each of the world’s commodity crops as we approach a new decade ‘beyond biofuels’.