2. Resources for the bioeconomy

2.1 Plant origin

Plants break down organic substances (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) from carbon dioxide and water through photosynthesis with the help of sunlight. As primary producers, plants are therefore the most important source of raw materials in the bioeconomy. Plant parts and their fruits are mainly used as food and animal feed, but are also processed to produce building materials, textiles, energy, pharmaceuticals and paper.

 

The 10 crops with the largest harvested quantities worldwide are sugar cane, maize, wheat, rice, oil palms, potatoes, soybeans, cassava and vegetables (FAOSTAT 2022). Sugar cane, maize, rice and wheat account for half of global primary agricultural production. These crops are mainly grown as food sources. However, sugar cane, maize, palm oil, soy and wheat are also increasingly being used as raw materials for fuel production. Overall, the global cultivation of primary crops, oil plants, fruit and vegetables has risen sharply in the last twenty years (FAO 2022). 

 

Agricultural Plantation

Agricultural crops containing sugar and starch make up the majority of crops grown worldwide. The four crops sugar cane, maize, rice and wheat produce half of the global harvest. In 2021, 9.5 billion tons of crops were produced worldwide (FAO 2022). The following diagram shows the distribution of the various crop groups.

 

In Germany, agriculture is practised on around 46% of the 35.8 million hectares of total land (FNR 2021). Crops for industrial or energy purposes are grown on around 16% of this agricultural land. That is around 2.6 million hectares.

 

The majority of the 2.6 million hectares of land under cultivation for industrial and energy crops is used to grow maize for the production of biogas. However, large areas are also used to cultivate plants for the production of biodiesel and bioethanol (FNR 2022).