Coffee exporters’ advised to comply with EU deforestation regulations
Feb 23, 2024
Compliance is critical for us because our coffee ends up in the EU market, it means we must find ways to become compliant or else we face consequences.
Gerald Kyalo Acting Director Development Services of Uganda Coffee Development Authority during Uganda Coffee Development Authority breakfast meeting on EUDR compliance at Mestil Hotel on February 22, 2024. (Photo by Mary Kansiime)
Prossy Nandudu
Journalist @New Vision
___________________ (L-R) Charles Francis Mugoya Chairperson of the Board of Uganda Coffee Development Authority interacting with Gerald Kyalo Acting Director Development Services of Uganda Coffee Development Authority during Uganda Coffee Development Authority breakfast meeting
Exporters of coffee have been asked to comply with the new European Union (EU) deforestation regulation (EUDR) for continued trade. Currently, the EU imports 65% of Uganda’s coffee.
Should the new regulations come into effect, companies sourcing coffee grown in areas that were deforested for coffee production will not be allowed to export.
The call was sounded by Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) director of development services Gerald Kyalo during a breakfast meeting on Thursday at Mestil Hotel in Kampala. The meeting was aimed at sensitising coffee stakeholders about the new guidelines.
Kyalo, who represented the UCDA executive director at the event, said: “Compliance is critical for us because our coffee ends up in the EU market, it means we must find ways to become compliant or else we face consequences. And this will affect the farmers, exporters, traders, and government because we earn foreign income from coffee”.
To further help the sector, UCDA has established a comprehensive plan, which involves engaging the EU, and a technical committee so that efforts at the country level can be aligned with the national policies, and foster collaborations and continued engagements that will help the sector.
He added that UCDA, EUD, JED, and Veritas have already signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure that Ugandan coffee is deforestation-free and compliant with the set regulations.
About the regulations
On December 5, 2022, the EU Parliament approved the EU regulation for deforestation-free products to ensure supply chains remain free from products that cause deforestation.
The EUDR entered into force on June 29, 2023, and will enter into application on December 30, 2024, (18 months’ transition) and on June 30, 2025 (24 months’ transition) for micro - and small enterprises.
The EU regulations aim to reduce global deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions, minimise biodiversity loss, reduce deforestation and promote sustainable coffee production and consumption.
What is required of coffee exporters?
The EUDR requires that exporters of commodities such as coffee, and cocoa, must submit specific documents to export to the EU market.
These include detailed land-use maps to confirm deforestation-free production after December 31, 2020; compliance with local legislation in production; and a due diligence statement covering the entire coffee supply chain indicating no more than a negligible risk of non-compliance among others.
No Comment