Ugandan coffee farmers have only 8 months to comply with newly released European Union regulations against deforestation or the cutting down of trees to create space for coffee planting.

Under the new regulations, coffee coming from coffee farms that replaced trees or forests after 30 December 2020 will not be allowed on the European Market. Because they will have breached EU regulations.

Termed as EUDR, the regulations are aimed at reducing global deforestation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimising biodiversity loss, promoting sustainable consumption and production for coffee patterns and reducing forest degradation.

Gerald Kyalo, the 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.

This came into force on December 5, 2022, when the EU Parliament approved the regulations for deforestation-free products entering EU markets.

Although the regulations came into force on June 29, 2023, they will be applied starting December 30, 2024. That means Ugandan coffee farmers have eight months to comply.

The message was delivered to coffee stakeholders including exporters, co-operatives, farmer groups, policymakers, and farmers by Gerald Kyalo of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) recently at Mestil Hotel in Kampala. Kyalo is the UCDA director of development services.

“Compliance is critical because 60% of our coffee ends up in the EU market, it means we must find ways to become compliant or else we face the consequences. This will affect the farmers, exporters, traders and the Government because we earn foreign income from coffee,” Kyalo said.

To ensure compliance, UCDA has developed a comprehensive action plan for the EUDR, which includes engaging the EU, and seeking technical and financial support. A task force chaired by UCDA has been instituted to further guide on compliance, according to Kyalo.

He added that UCDA, JED and VERITAS have already signed a memorandum of collaboration to ensure that compliance at the territorial level is achieved for the start.

“Under the arrangement, JED and VERITAS have initiated a process of identifying non-compliant coffee plots in the next months. This means we shall be able to at least access information that will show us non-compliant zones and the owners of those zones. Such information will guide us in finding a solution,” he added.

What it takes to export under the new regulations

According to UCDA, exporters will be required to give a detailed land-use map 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.

To ensure due diligence, the operator or exporter is expected to collect detailed information on production, geo-localisation, carry out a risk assessment to mitigate risks through capacity building of value chain actors, and present a due diligence statement for each batch of coffee placed on the EU market.

To support Ugandans on the coffee journey, Abi Development chief executive officer Moses Nyabila said in the next five years, 60% of their support will go to coffee.