Bio-fuel Chains – An Overview on the Structure and the Value Chain Organization

Structural change in the agricultural sector as well as in the whole agricultural value chain is an ongoing dynamic process and creates a number of diverse phenomena. The EU Strategy for Biofuels (2006) and the Biomass action plan (2005) set a clear signal that the EU wishes to establish and to support the bio energy-industry. The perceivable aim of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) consists in reducing food production and in enlarging the non-food production. Another driver for the attractiveness of bio-energy and bio-fuel production is the recent development of prices of crude oil and natural gas. Furthermore bio-energy is seen as one of the key options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and substitute fossil fuels.