Uganda’s coffee exports in July hit record-breaking Shs 780bln as country readies for EUDR

KAMPALA, August 21, 2024 – Uganda’s coffee exports in July 2024 set a record of 821, 593 bags valued at US$ 210.48 million [about Shs 780 billion, the highest quantity ever exported in a single month, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA].

UCDA says the July coffee exports comprised 7222,444 bags of Robusta valued Shs 733.79bln, and 49,149 bags of Arabica valued at Shs 46.25bln.

Export data shows a significant shipment is EUDR complaint

According to Judith Gaines, a world-renowned futures market analyst, 350 bags of the 2, 910 bags of Ugandan coffee in current stock was EUDR [European Union Deforestation Regulation] compliant while 2,560 bags was still in transition.

UCDA says this implies that 12.03 percent was EUDR complaint compared to Tanzania at 2. 99 percent, and Rwanda 0.74 percent.

“Uganda is taking encouraging first steps of EUDR compliance,” says UCDA.

EUDR applies to companies placing relevant commodities or products on the EU market, or exporting them from it. They will need to demonstrate that their products are deforestation-free, and not linked to forest degradation, nor illegal harvesting and trade. Palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber as well as derived products, such as beef, furniture, or chocolate, are included in the scope of the Regulation.

The December 30, 2024 will see the EUDR come into force at ports and entry points across the EU for commodities derived from wood, palm oil, rubber, soy, cattle, cocoa and coffee. To pass the border checks products need to have a valid Due Diligence Statement number [DDS].

In force since 29 June 2023, the EUDR has been introduced to limit the EU market’s impact on global deforestation/forest degradation and biodiversity loss, promote deforestation-free supply chains, reduce the EU’s contribution to greenhouse gases [GHG] emissions– and protect human rights and the rights of indigenous.

Steps being taken to ensure Uganda complies with EUDR

Recently UCDA entered into an agreement with JDE Peet’s, and Enveritas to implement a scheme that will enable Enveritas to verify that the coffee industry in Uganda does not export coffee grown on land deforested after 2020, as required by the new EUDR.

Through this landmark agreement, JDE Peet’s will support the rehabilitation of land deforested and converted to coffee after 2020.

Enveritas’ territorial approach involves a technologically sophisticated process to monitor all of Uganda’s coffee growing region through a combination of high-resolution satellite imagery, machine learning, and teams on the ground. A protocol developed by UCDA will ensure that any coffee which is found to be in contravention of the new regulation is removed from the supply chain.

The innovative and inclusive JDE Peet’s Enveritas countrywide solution, supported by the EU’s concept of declaration in excess, allows coffee producing land, at a vast scale, to be assessed as deforestation free, delivering on the climate journey while protecting smallholder farmers.

About Enveritas, and JDE Peet’s

Enveritas is a non-profit organisation that works worldwide to support the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers through encouraging the responsible sourcing of coffee while JDE Peet’s is the largest roaster of coffee in the European Union, serving millions of consumers annually.

https://thecooperator.news/eudr-us-demands-delay-to-protect-food-businesses/

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