OACPS presidency: Tayebwa says to mediate restriction of crop export to EU

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Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa says he will start his duty as the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States Joint Parliamentary Assembly (OACPS) president with mediation on the restriction of export of specific crops to the European Union (EU) market.

He made the revelation while chairing plenary on March 3, 2025, following his recent election as OACPS president. Tayebwa automatically assumed the role of co-chair of the OACPS-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly which convenes alternately in an ACP and an EU country under democratic principles.

Tayebwa said the EU regulation, which restricts countries from exporting crops planted on land that previously was a forest or had trees, will be his focus as the head of the multi-national organisation.

Members of Parliament in a Plenary session. (File photo)

“Europeans are saying if our coffee, tea and cocoa were planted in an area with trees since 2020, then they won’t be able to enter their markets. We are saying, even when you are promoting climate change, you must do it in a sustainable and a just way,” Tayebwa said, adding, "we are going to see a way of harmonising it, we do not want to end up suffocating people from poor countries. We are going to have hard negotiations where some of you [MPs] will be involved."

Favourable terms of trade

Equally priority on his agenda as the President is negotiating favourable terms of trade, for easy access to European market, which he said remains Uganda’s biggest trading partner.

“EU is where 70 per cent of our coffee is going; it is a crucial market if you look at how much gold tax we are getting from them. We have registered a trade surplus worth €150 million,” said Tayebwa.

Hold them accountable

Parliament's climate change committee chairperson Lawrence Biyika asked Tayebwa to hold the European countries accountable for natural resources exploitation in Africa, which in some areas resulted in deadly conflicts.

“There are companies from the EU known for exploiting natural resources, leading to conflicts in areas such as Chad, Somalia and Cameroon. Some of these issues should be discussed, including the human rights of women and children who were killed,” Biyika said.

Industry state minister David Bahati said he wished to see a regulation requiring Uganda to only export coffee with value addition, observant that the country does not earn as much as those exporting processed coffee and all its products.