The government has assured coffee growers, value chain actors, operators, and buyers that Kenya is on track to meet the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary (CS) Dr. Andrew Karanja explained that the European Union Parliament passed legislative measures on May 3, 2023, aimed at reducing EU-driven deforestation and forest degradation.
“The EUDR mandates that certain commodities, including coffee, linked to deforestation must not be placed on or exported to the EU market after December 30, 2024,” said Dr. Karanja.
He disclosed that the EU accounts for 55% of Kenya’s coffee exports, making compliance with these regulations essential to the success of Kenya’s coffee subsector.
“A Cabinet Memo is being prepared to keep the Cabinet informed on Kenya’s progress towards EUDR compliance,” said Dr. Karanja adding that a Multi-Agency Technical Committe of experts has been formed to evaluate Kenya’s readiness and develop a comprehensive compliance framework.
The CS explained that Ground-Truthing Tests have been conducted to assess the current status of compliance and the government’s request for EU Technical support to verify compliance has been approved by the European Commission.
“Although there have been unconfirmed reports suggesting a potential extension of the EUDR compliance deadline to December 2025, the government remains steadfast in adhering to its current schedule. Early compliance is critical to securing Kenya’s position in the EU market and maintaining trust with our trading partners,” said Dr. Karanja.
He highlighted that the ministry emphasizes the need for compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2019 and unauthorized entities are strictly prohibited from collecting, analyzing, or storing grower information under the guise of assisting with compliance.
“The Ministry clarifies that the Due Diligence Statement, as required by the EUDR, will be issued by the competent government agencies. Meanwhile, all grower data will be securely managed under the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development,” said Dr. Karanja.
The European Commission through a statement on their website indicate that given feedback received from international partners about their state of preparations, they have proposed to give concerned parties additional time to prepare.
The statement indicates that if approved by the European Parliament and the Council, the additional time would make the law applicable on 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for micro- and small enterprises.
“Since all the implementation tools are technically ready, the extra 12 months can serve as a phasing-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation,” read the statement in part.
The statement further read that the Commission recognises that three months ahead of the intended implementation date, several global partners have repeatedly expressed concerns about their state of preparedness, most recently during the United Nations General Assembly week in New York.
“Moreover, the state of preparations amongst stakeholders in Europe is also uneven. While many expect to be ready in time, thanks to intensive preparations, others have expressed concerns,” read the statement.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
