European Ambassador to Uganda Jan Sadek has assured Ugandan coffee farmers that the European Union’s regulation on deforestation-free products is designed to protect the country’s environment rather than restrict its coffee exports.
The European Union Regulation for Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) aims to ensure that all coffee and cocoa products exported to Europe do not originate from land that was formerly forested.
“It is purely driven by consumer demand from EU coffee drinkers who want to ensure that as they enjoy their coffee, they are not contributing to deforestation in climate-vulnerable countries like Uganda,” Sadek explained.
His remarks came in response to concerns from farmers and stakeholders in the coffee sector who feared that the EU’s deforestation regulations were intended to suppress Uganda’s coffee exports.
Sadek clarified this on March 11, 2024, while visiting the National Coffee Resources Research Institute in Kituuza, Mukono District, alongside French Ambassador to Uganda Xavier Sticker.
The two ambassadors, accompanied by their delegations, were assessing the impact of EU and French funding on coffee research projects supported through the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO).
Sadek emphasised that since the regulation is designed to protect the environment, farmers should comply by getting certified and ensuring they do not clear forests to plant coffee. He also noted that the deadline for compliance had been extended by a year, from December 2024 to December 2025.
“The process is progressing smoothly. We see significant deforestation in Uganda, so certifying farmers is essential. This is already underway, and farmers have the rest of the year, along with support from many organisations, to complete the process,” he said.
He added that once certification is completed, farmers will not only benefit from higher coffee prices but also enjoy better yields.
Currently, Uganda earns about €1 billion from coffee exports to Europe, supporting 3.5 million coffee-growing families.
To sustain and expand these exports, Sadek revealed that Team Europe has invested over €10 million in coffee research over the past decade. However, the EU’s involvement in Uganda’s coffee research dates back 40 years.
“We have invested in research here, from improving seedlings to enhancing coffee quality and resilience to environmental stressors like drought. This work is already yielding results, and we are pleased with the progress. We are committed to supporting Uganda’s coffee sector, which we consider highly important,” he added.
French Ambassador Xavier Sticker echoed Sadek’s sentiments, noting that collaboration with the EU has helped equip more coffee researchers with skills to manage coffee production in a changing climate.
As part of this support, Team Europe has so far sponsored 13 students to pursue PhDs in coffee research. In terms of markets, Sticker highlighted that French companies purchase between 20% and 30% of Uganda’s coffee traded on global markets. He also pledged further funding from the French Development Agency to support smallholder coffee farmers.
At the same event, NARO Governing Council chairman Kenneth Katungisa assured development partners of the quality of Uganda’s coffee research, despite limited funding.
Katungisa noted that while NARO requires close to sh300 billion annually to conduct its research effectively, over the past two and a half years, it has only received 30% of that amount. Of this, 50% goes towards the wage bill.
Welcoming the delegation to the National Coffee Resources Research Institute (NaCORI), NARO director general Dr Yona Baguma pledged compliance with the EU’s deforestation regulations.
He also highlighted various EU-supported research projects, including the Cocoa Dev Project, the Robusta Project, and the CIRAD project, which is backed by the French government.
However, Baguma called for additional financial support to expand research dissemination beyond Uganda.
He outlined key areas where donors could contribute, including training 20 additional PhD students dedicated to coffee research to strengthen Uganda’s scientific expertise in the sector.
Baguma also called for support in advancing rapid phenotyping methods to increase coffee seedling production and establishing a modern coffee screening facility, among other research initiatives.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Ambassadors being taken around the coffee research institute at NaCORI in Kituuza Mukono district. Courtesy photo
