More Than 800,000 Ugandan Coffee Farmers Have Registered Ahead Of The EUDR Deadline – CoffeeTalk

Uganda’s State Minister for Agriculture, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, announced that about 812,000 of the estimated 3 million coffee farmers have been registered, nine months ahead of the EU deadline. A total of 912,906 coffee farms have been mapped. The government is optimistic that it will meet the EU’s deadline on registration of all coffee farmers, despite only reaching about 30% of the target group. The joint efforts of the government with support from various stakeholders led by aBi Development will yield more results to beat the deadline.

The ministry is continuing the registration exercise, which was started last year by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), which has since been rationalized. The EU’s Regulation for Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) requires that products exported to the continent be deforestation-free. Uganda has up to December 30, 2025 to comply with EUDR, which stipulates that farmers must prove that their coffee has not been grown on land where no deforestation has taken place. Last year, the government through UCDA announced that it had injected an initial Shs13.9 billion into the registration exercise.

A national registration taskforce comprising the Ministry of Agriculture and the Uganda Coffee Federation (UCF) has led to the current numbers, which were mapped in 19 districts. The task force established a coordination unit and oversaw the registration of 912,000 coffee farms, as well as the development of a temporary data warehouse. Farm registration is ongoing; this is a dynamic process, with numbers changing daily. Compliance is not just a technical issue; it’s about building trust, disseminating information, enhancing capacity, and securing financial resources.

An analysis revealed that only three coffee plots were non-EUDR compliant, confirming what coffee production in Uganda is not a significant driver of deforestation. However, the primary challenge is not deforestation, but complying with the EU’s record-keeping and reporting requirements due to Uganda’s informal and fragmented supply chain. To address this, a collaborative effort is needed to raise awareness about EUDR and C3D, establish governance and finance a data warehouse, and build the capacity of traders and processors.

Minister Kyakulaga commended aBi Development and its partners for championing new initiatives in the agribusiness sector, especially the clustering model. They target to increase market access for 1.8 million coffee farmers this year by ensuring they are registered in the national database and consolidating response to climate change. They have provided Shs320 billion in grants and technical assistance to over 300 SMEs, farmer organizations, and NGOs working with farmers.

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