BERTOUA, June 11, 2025 –– Cameroon’s Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Council [CICC] has launched a nationwide awareness campaign to prepare cocoa and coffee farmers for the implementation of the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products [ EUDR ]. The campaign was officially launched on June 5, in Bertoua, the regional capital of the East.
The EUDR prohibits the import and sale of products linked to deforestation within the EU. It applies to seven key agricultural commodities and their derivatives: cocoa, coffee, rubber, palm oil, soya, beef, and timber. Initially scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025, enforcement of the regulation was postponed by one year to January 1, 2026, following appeals from producing countries who had requested more time to comply with the new requirements.
As part of the awareness initiative, a CICC delegation led by Executive Secretary Omer Malédy will tour major cocoa- and coffee-producing regions to explain the regulation in detail. The campaign will also stress the importance of compliance, particularly as the EU remains a vital market for Cameroon’s agricultural exports.
“Seventy-eight percent of Cameroon’s cocoa exports and 68 percent of its coffee exports are destined for the European market,” said Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, underlining the significance of the campaign.
From January 2026, products falling under the EUDR must adhere to the legal requirements of their country of origin and be accompanied by a due diligence statement submitted via an EU information system. Additionally, products must be certified as “deforestation-free” to enter the European market.
To support producers and exporters in meeting these standards, the CICC signed an agreement on 28 August 2024 in Yaoundé to consolidate georeferenced data on cocoa and coffee farms. This agreement, involving six major cocoa exporters, will establish a centralised data platform to map farm locations, allowing exporters to demonstrate compliance with EU sustainability criteria.
Trade Minister Mbarga Atangana noted that this initiative is designed to protect smallholder farmers who may struggle with the costs and technical demands of compliance. “By facilitating data sharing, we are helping small producers maintain access to the European market while enhancing Cameroon’s competitiveness globally,” he said.
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