On 1st October 2024 the Minister of Agriculture, Animal industry and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze announced the European Union regulation approved by the European Parliament in December 2022, which approved the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
According to the minister in his press briefing in Kampala, the move was aimed at ensuring that supply chains remain free from products contributing to deforestation and forest degradation.
To prepare Ugandans to meet the regulations that came into effect on 29th June 2023 and would be expected to go into application on 30th December 2024, the minister gave the following guidelines to be observed;
- a) deforestation-free; the production of coffee was done on land that was not subject to deforestation or forest degradation after 30th December 2020.
- b) produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of Uganda;
- c) accompanied by a due diligence statement; containing geolocation data adhering to traceability standards that enable buyers to trace each batch of coffee back to its designated land plot.
“I would like to emphasize that this registration process is being conducted free of charge by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority”. The minister said.
The EU represents a primary export market for Ugandan coffee, with over 60% exported to the EU market. Meeting the regulations would enable Uganda to continue to trade with the countries that make up the European Union.
According to the minister, various countries have their own regulations for example, imports into China require registration with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), Sudan being a main consumer in Africa requires ISO Certification and submission of annual test results for both physical and biochemical coffee parameters to Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organisation (SSMO) and the European Union requires compliance with the EUDR.
Coffee is grown on an estimated 353,907 hectares of land by about 1.8 million smallholder farmers and 90% of these smallholder farmers own gardens ranging between 0.5 and 2.5 hectares in size and has supported over 9 million people in Uganda who have been estimated to derive their livelihood from coffee-related activities along the value chain.
