CSOs call for alternative coffee markets as EU deadline nears

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Civil society organisations in Uganda have urged the government, through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, to identify alternative markets for Uganda’s coffee in a bid to reduce over-reliance on European markets.

Currently, the European Union accounts for 60% of Uganda’s coffee exports. However, with the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Uganda must comply with strict environmental standards to maintain access to this lucrative market.

Uganda now has only 239 days left to meet the requirements of the EUDR. One of the regulation’s key conditions is that coffee must be grown on land that has not been deforested.

In a joint statement issued by the Food Rights Alliance, CSOs warned that failure to meet these requirements could cost Uganda up to $1.14 billion annually and negatively impact 1.8 million coffee farmers across the country.

The EUDR aims to ensure that supply chains remain free from products linked to deforestation or forest degradation. It will apply retrospectively, barring commodities such as coffee, cocoa, cattle, palm oil, soy, timber, and rubber, along with their derivatives, including beef, furniture, and chocolate, that are grown or produced on deforested land after 2021 from entering the EU market.

Ongoing government initiatives

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the government has earmarked sh13.9 billion to support the implementation of the National Traceability System and the development of a National Action Plan aimed at preserving Uganda’s access to the EU market, which remains the largest buyer of its coffee.

The Uganda Coffee Development Authority, now a department under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, explained that the National Traceability System will ensure that Uganda’s coffee complies with the EUDR.

The regulation demands that only products not linked to deforestation or degradation after 31 December 2020 will be permitted into the EU.