Kiambu: Coffee farms in Kiambu County have been mapped for evaluation by the European Forest Institute (EFI) for compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The regulation dictates that commodities, including coffee, originating from recently deforested areas, must not be placed on or exported to the EU market after December 30, 2024. The law, passed by the European Union Parliament on May 3, 2023, aims to ensure that key goods on the EU market do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation globally.
According to Kenya News Agency, coffee farms will need to screen their global suppliers through annual due diligence frameworks. These frameworks must be provided to EU member states where products are sold, ensuring they have not caused deforestation. Benson Njoroge, the County Chief Officer of Agriculture, remarked that Kiambu County’s compliance with the EUDR is crucial due to its status as a top coffee producer in Kenya. With seven of Kenya’s ten leading coffee markets loca
ted in the EU, the regulation significantly impacts Kenyan coffee producers.
Njoroge emphasized the importance of understanding EUDR requirements, from geolocation practices on plantations to aligning with regulations, to keep Kenyan coffee competitive in the European market. He highlighted discussions on using modern tools for geolocation, data collection, and risk assessment as key aspects of compliance. Njoroge also stressed that adhering to these regulations involves adopting best practices to preserve natural resources for future generations.
The law stipulates that non-compliance could result in product suspension from the EU market, with operators and traders facing potential fines of up to four per cent of their annual EU turnover and confiscation of products and revenues. This comes at a time when the Kenyan government is reforming the coffee sector across its 37 coffee-growing areas. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest wer
e lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020.