Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply - Embrapa

Table 11. Characteristics of oleaginous crops in Brazil.
Species
African palm
Coconut
Babassu
Sunflower
Colza/canola
Castor beans
Peanut
Soybean
Cotton
Oil origin
Nut
Fruit
Nut
Grain
Grain
Grain
Grain
Grain
Grain
Oil contents
(%)
22.0
55.0 – 60.0
66.0
38.0 – 48.0
40.0 – 48.0
45.0 – 50.0
40.0 – 43.0
18.0
15.0
Source: NOGEUIRA, L. A. H. et al. Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica. Adapted by DPA/Mapa.
Studies carried out by four ministries – Agrarian Development;
Agriculture, Livestock and Supply; National Integration; and Cities - show that
for each 1% share of the biodiesel market derived from family agriculture it
would be possible to generate approximately 45,000 jobs in the hinterlands,
at an approximate cost of R$ 4.900,00 each (HOLANDA, 2004). Approximately
180,000 new jobs would be created assuming that each job in the rural areas
generates three jobs in the urban areas. Finally, it should also be emphasized
that industrial agriculture employs, on average, one worker for every 100
hectares farmed. In family agriculture each worker farms 10 hectares.
Almost 220-million reais (R$) per year are necessary for every 1% share in
the biodiesel market, with yearly gross revenues of approximately R$ 470 millions.
Every real invested in family agriculture yields R$ 2,13 more in the annual gross
income. So that the family income would double if family agriculture participated
in the biodiesel market.
As regards the paths used to produce biodiesel in the Northeast Region
and in the State of Minas Gerais, the products of choice would be methyl alcohol
and castor oil. In the Center-South, the preferred product would be ethyl alcohol,
mainly because its ready availability.
In Brazil most of the biodiesel will be produced by transesterification
(80%) for a large wholesale market addressing the mixture of biodiesel into
petrodiesel, large fleet consumption and consumers interested in increasing
the proportion of biodiesel mixed to petrodiesel. The remainder would be
obtained by cracking in small remote communities.
84
Harvest
(months/year)
12
12
12
3
3
3
3
3
3
Yield (tons of
oil/hectare
3.0 – 6.0
1.3 – 1.9
0.1 – 0.3
0.5 – 1.9
0.5 – 0.9
0.5 – 0.9
0.6 – 0.8
0.2 – 0.4
0.1 – 0.2