Coffee stakeholders have been urged by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to support the ongoing national registration of coffee value chain participants.
The government has taken significant steps to ensure that the coffee industry in the country complies with the European Union Regulations on deforestation-free products (EUDR).
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, announced last week that the government has committed to spending UGX 35 billion on this registration process.
The goal of the registration process, according to Laura Walusimbi, Corporate Communications Manager at UCDA, is to guarantee high-quality coffee production, environmentally friendly methods, and sustainable practices, not to tax farmers.
"This initiative is actually part of the government's efforts to comply with the European Union Regulations on deforestation-free products by ensuring good quality coffee and increasing production in consideration of protecting the environment", Walusimbi explained.
In September 2024, the government announced the registration, intended to capture geo-location data for coffee plots and other related products and capture data on farmers, traders and processors will be done by enumerators on behalf of UCDA.
By registering all coffee farmers and implementing a National Traceability System, Uganda aims to meet the EU's regulations and ensure the sustainability of its coffee industry by promoting sustainable production practices and environmental protection.
The regulation which takes effect on 1st January 2025 requires that exporters of commodities such as coffee, cocoa and their derivatives must submit specific documents to export to the EU market.
The regulation also sets specific criteria for products imported into and exported out of the EU market to be deforestation-free.
Additionally, the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) compels companies to undertake mandatory due diligence to identify and address human rights abuses and environmental damage in their global value chains.
