The government of Kenya on Wednesday announced that it was making plans to help coffee farmers address an impending ban from selling Kenyan coffee at the European Union market over non-compliance with regulations.
Cabinet Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry Andrew Mwihia assured coffee farmers and stakeholders that the government was keen on meeting all the regulatory compliance requirements by the EU before the set deadline of December 2024.
Earlier, the European Union Parliament passed legislation aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation from products that got their way into the EU market such as coffee, a main export earner for Kenya.
Additionally, according to the EU regulations, coffee sales at the EU markets risked being banned since the original coffee trees are usually uprooted during harvesting thus contributing to forest cover degradation.
The EU had initially given affected trade partners such as Kenya an ultimatum to ensure that they put proper regulations to address the concerns or risk being locked out of the European market after December 30 this year.
The EU accounts for 55% of Kenya's coffee exports, making compliance with these regulations essential to the success of Kenya's coffee subsector. The percentage represents an annual export valued at Ksh 800 million with high-quality Arabica beans coffee as the main product.
According to the CS, his ministry is already making plans to draft a memo to inform the Cabinet of the steps Kenya is taking towards compliance with the EU compliance regulations so as not to lock out Kenyan traders in the sector.
He also asserted that the government has already mandated a multi-agency technical committee of experts to evaluate Kenya’s readiness towards compliance with the regulations before the deadline.
''Multi-Agency Technical Committee: A committee of experts has been formed to evaluate Kenya's readiness and develop a comprehensive compliance framework,’’ Mwihia shared in a statement.
The CS also affirmed that his Ministry had also embarked on ground assessment tests to ensure that farmers complied with the regulations as well as making a request to the European Union technical commission to verify Kenya’s compliance.
''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,’’ the CS added.
He also issued a warning to stakeholders who will engage in unlicensed exercises of helping farmers collect information from their farms on compliance with the regulations. The CS added that the government will make use of its agencies to collect the data from farmers.
‘’Additionally, the Ministry emphasizes the need for compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2019. 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,’’ the CS warned.
