BY NAOME NAMUSOKE/KMA Updates
Kampala, Uganda – May 13, 2025 – The livelihoods of nearly 12 million smallholder coffee farmers across Africa are under threat as the continent races against time to comply with the European Union’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR). This new regulation, which comes into effect soon, demands that all coffee exported to the EU must be traceable to farms that have not contributed to deforestation and must come from legal sources.
To address this urgent challenge, coffee industry leaders from across Africa and Europe have gathered in Kampala, Uganda, from 13th to 16th May 2025 for the Regional Conference on “EUDR Readiness in the African Coffee Sector – Where Are We Now and What Is Left to Do?” The event, hosted by GIZ Uganda under the Team Europe Initiative (TEI), aims to assess Africa’s progress and prepare stakeholders for full EUDR compliance.
During the conference, Karolina Hedstrom, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Uganda, emphasized that while progress has been made, Uganda is still facing a funding gap of UGX 35 billion to effectively complete mapping and traceability efforts required under the new regulation.
“So far, only UGX 13 billion has been released by the government. We are now working closely with the private sector to bridge this gap,” Hedstrom said.
Uganda, one of Africa’s top coffee producers, exported over 6.1 million 60-kg bags of coffee in 2023/24, generating an estimated $1.1 billion in export earnings.
Dr. Gerald Kyaalo, Commissioner from the Ministry of Agriculture, reported that the country has registered over 1.2 million coffee farmers as part of its efforts to build a traceable and compliant value chain.
“Compliance is not optional. If we want to continue accessing the European market, all our farmers must align with these new guidelines,” Dr. Kyaalo urged.
Frank Buizer, Agricultural Counsellor at the Netherlands Embassy in Uganda, reiterated his country’s support in safeguarding the environment and building sustainable trade ties.
“Protecting the environment is central to our agricultural partnerships. We are committed to supporting Uganda and Africa at large in meeting these new standards,” Buizer said.
Jane Nalunga, Executive Director of SEATINI Uganda, has called on the Ugandan government to speed up the mapping of all coffee farms and has urged farmers to take compliance seriously.
“Let’s be clear—finding another market to replace the European Union will be extremely difficult. Mapping is a must. Compliance is the only way forward,” Nalunga stressed.
Africa, home to some of the world’s most prized coffee varieties, produced 13 million 60-kg bags of coffee in 2023, representing 10% of global output. Nearly 60% of this—about 7.8 million bags—was exported to Europe, making the EU the largest single destination for African coffee exports.
The Kampala conference underscores the high stakes and shared urgency among governments, farmers, development partners, and the private sector to ensure Africa’s coffee remains competitive and sustainable in an evolving global market. As deadlines loom, the future of millions of rural households hinges on whether Africa can meet the EU’s strict environmental and traceability requirements in time.