Tendencies for Usage of Rapeseed Oil and Maize for Biocomponent Production in Poland Between 2015 and 2020

Abstract The aim of the article is to present the supply and demand situation on the market of rapeseed oil and maize used for fuel purposes in Poland, as well as analyze the relationship between their prices and production, as well as the consumption of gasoline and diesel fuel. The analysis covered the 2015–2020 period and was based on data from statistics Poland, the National Support Center for Agriculture, and the Polish Oil Industry and Trade Organization. Statistical analysis showed that between 2015 and 2020 the dynamics of the usage of raw materials to produce biofuels exceeded the growth rate of their production and harvest. The assessment of the relationship between production and consumption of fuels in Poland showed that the demand from the fuel sector had a dominant influence on the prices of rapeseed oil and maize during the period under consideration, and fuel production had a less significant share in shaping wholesale prices of rapeseed oil and purchase prices of maize. Biofuels are an important and topical issue both in the context of the new energy policy of the European Union (EU) and Poland until 2040 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with one of the consequences being the energy crisis and the announcement of the EU becoming independent from Russian energy. In such a situation, biofuels and raw materials for their production may turn out to be an important element of improving energy security.