Bioproducts Production and Development Survey

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2009 (Previous release)

In 2009, 208 firms reported revenues from bioproducts amounting to $1.3 billion.

These firms had 3,019 employees who were engaged in bioproduct production and development activities. They reported spending approximately $50 million on research and development related to bioproducts.

Bioproducts are products made from biological inputs other than food, feed and medicines.

Ethanol accounted for $910 million or almost three-quarters of the $1.3 billion bioproducts total.

Asked to identify their main biomass source, 42% of firms indicated agriculture, while about 7% indicated food processing or slaughter plant by-products, 22% reported forestry and 5% reported marine and aquaculture sources. The remaining 24% identified a variety of other biomass sources.

About 80% of the firms engaged in bioproducts production and development had fewer than 50 employees.

In 2009, 43% of firms reported involvement in bioproducts for not more than 5 years, almost 20% had been involved for 6 to 10 years, while 17% reported bioproduct involvement for 11 to 15 years. The remaining 20% reported involvement for 16 years or more.

Note: The Bioproducts Production and Development Survey 2009, sponsored by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, was designed to capture the characteristics and activities of firms in the emerging bioproducts sector. These firms are engaged in the non-conventional use of biomass to produce industrial products. The survey identified the amount of different types of agricultural, forestry, marine and other biomass used in the production of bioproducts along with firm characteristics.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5073.

For more information, to order data tables, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Beau Cinnamon (613-951-9021; beau.cinnamon@statcan.gc.ca), Business Special Survey and Technology Statistics Division.