Uganda to beat the December deadline on coffee exports to EU

Uganda’s coffee exports to the European Union (EU) will not be affected by the December 2024 deadline of the EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) policy, Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development (General Duties), Hon. Henry Musasizi has said.

On 05 December 2022, the EU approved the EUDR policy which requires that coffee, cocoa and other agricultural commodities exported to the EU are sourced from land that was not deforested after 31 December 2020.

Musasizi told the Committee on Agriculture that the Ministry of Finance will release the Shs13.9 billion shillings by 20 October 2024 for the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to carry out certification of the coffee products to ensure they are deforestation free.

The committee that met the minister on Tuesday, 08 October 2024 is handling a petition to Parliament by SEATINI- Uganda, a non-governmental organisation where the petitioners questioned Uganda’s readiness to implement the EUDR policy.

“There should not be any worry; this money will be released at a go so that the activity is done by the December deadline. I assure you that we are putting in place all the necessary steps as a country to comply with the regulation,” he said

The minister added that at the start of the 2024/2025 financial year, UCDA engaged with the agri-business initiative development which received Shs16 billion to establish the EUDR Coordination Unit.

“The funds have been made available to the private sector to kick start the establishment of the EUDR Coordination Unit by Café Africa which will carry out partial awareness activities and registration of 900,000 coffee farming households,” Musasizi said.

Musasizi’s reassurance followed concerns from lawmakers who underscored the urgency of the matter saying that failure to beat the deadline would affect Uganda’s earnings  from the coffee exports.

On average, according to the minister, Uganda earns an estimated US$500 million dollars annually in coffee exports to the EU.
Deputy Chairperson of the  committee, Hon. Hope Nakazibwe urged the minister to make-good on his pledge to release the funds to UCDA.

“We are remaining with barely three months so we have to work hard to ensure that the release is tangible,” she said.
Buvuma Islands County representative, Hon. Robert Migadde said that by now, UCDA should have started implementation of the policy.

“This is our number one export commodity and if we are to tag this to the target of December, we are really far back,” Migadde said.

Hon. Nyongore Enock (NRM, Nakaseke North County) urged the government to take implementation of the EUDR seriously, saying that the EU’s position can easily spill over to other countries.

The EUDR mandates that exporters must provide specific documentation for supply chain commodities including detailed land use, proof of compliance of local production legislation and due diligence statements for the entire supply chain.