International oilseed producers discuss economic perspectives, criticize restrictions on international trade routes

Participants of the IOPD 2024 in front of the Zeughaus Wismar. (Photo: UFOP)

At the invitation of the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Crops (UFOP), oilseed experts from around the world gathered June 17-20 for the 26th International Oilseed Producers’ Dialogue in Wismar, Germany, on the Baltic Sea.

After 2008 and 2016, UFOP hosted an IOPD meeting for the third time.

For the 26th time, representatives of various oilseed associations met to discuss current issues in oilseed production and future challenges for the industry.

In addition to a comprehensive conference program, guests from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Australia, France and Germany received valuable insights into local agriculture through visits to Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG (NPZ) and Wariner Pflanzenbau eG.

Key topics of this year’s IOPD included the future of the Common Agricultural Policy for European farmers, potential trade barriers for exports to the EU, approaches to achieving renewable energy targets in transportation and the challenges of plant breeding in Europe.

Additionally, reports and presentations on the short- and medium-term prospects of oilseed production and trade, focusing on soybeans, were given.

In addition, reports from the individual production regions were an integral part of the agenda.

Since 1998, the annual IOPD meetings have been an important institution in the global exchange and strengthen the dialogue among producers from different regions of the world.

The meeting not only presented the current supply situation, which is significantly shaped by the results of soybean harvests in North and South America, but increasingly discussions at IOPD are also focused on current developments in agricultural and biofuel policies, which have significant impacts on future production and trade routes.

An important aspect is addressing the growing global demand for food, feed and fuels and how this can be ensured in the future.

The challenges of food security, sustainability and the reliability of supply in a world of increasing uncertainty are ever-growing.

Thus, it is all the more important to develop and discuss common solutions in such an exchange.

Significant criticism was voiced by soy producers both outside and within the EU regarding the planned implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation, which is set to come into force at the end of 2024.

Key elements such as the application guidelines or country benchmarking are still not available.

During discussions on the pathways to defossilize the transport sector, it became clear that biofuels based on biomass will play a key role globally today and in the coming years.

This sector is also a very important market for oilseed producers worldwide and a central element of emission-reduction strategies in many countries.

Political interventions to reduce the potential use are therefore clearly rejected by IOPD participants.

The sustainably available biomass potential must also be used for energetic purposes in the future, according to the international representatives.