Uganda has raised its target to register 2.8 million coffee farmers, more than twice its initial goal, as it ramps up efforts to comply with the European Union Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR) before the deadline of 30 December 2025.
The EUDR, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, requires that key agricultural commodities—such as coffee, cocoa, soy, and palm oil—sold in the EU must not originate from land deforested after 31 December 2020.
To continue accessing one of its most important export markets, Uganda must demonstrate full traceability across its coffee value chain.
So far, 1.25 million Ugandan coffee farmers have been registered. This includes 350,000 new additions since the launch of an accelerated campaign in April 2025 targeting a further 900,000.
Authorities now hope to reach 1.8 million registrations by the end of June and the full 2.8 million before the regulation takes full effect.
“Digital traceability is the future of coffee exports,” said Judith Muvara, Advocacy and Communications Officer at Café Africa, which is coordinating Uganda’s compliance strategy.
“Major exporters like Kyagalanyi Coffee Ltd have already adopted these tools. We encourage all farmers to register, so we can move forward together as a sector.”
Uganda’s registration system uses a digital traceability platform designed to align with the EU’s due diligence framework. This allows exporters and authorities to track coffee from farm to port and verify that no beans originate from recently deforested land.
Currently, registration is voluntary. However, industry players are warning that non-compliant producers risk being excluded from the international market. Coffee exporters say buyers are already raising their standards to comply with the EUDR, leaving little room for undocumented suppliers.
“The EUDR is not just a compliance issue; it’s a market access issue,” said Emmanuel Iyamulemye, Managing Director of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
“If we fail to align with these regulations, we risk losing billions in annual coffee export revenue.”
Coffee is a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, with more than 60 percent of exports headed to the EU. From April 2024 to March 2025, Uganda exported 6.87 million bags of coffee, earning $1.84 billion (Shs6.9 trillion), according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
This marked a sharp increase from the previous year’s 5.99 million bags, which earned just under $1 billion.
Key EU destinations for Ugandan coffee include Italy, Germany, Spain, Belgium, France, Turkey, Portugal, and Poland. With consumer demand in Europe shifting increasingly toward ethically sourced and environmentally sustainable products, Uganda’s ability to meet EUDR conditions could determine whether it retains or loses its foothold in the global coffee trade.
The EUDR will be enforced by individual EU member states, with penalties ranging from fines and seizure of goods to temporary bans from the market.
A centralised EU digital platform will handle verification of compliance, meaning exporters must supply comprehensive data on the origin and conditions under which coffee is produced.
Despite the regulatory pressure, stakeholders see the shift as a long-term opportunity for Uganda’s coffee industry to modernise and increase its competitiveness.
“This is a race against time,” said Muvara. “But it is also an opportunity for Uganda to lead by example and build a more transparent, resilient coffee sector.”
To achieve the 2.8 million registration goal, the UCDA is expanding its outreach efforts through district governments, farmer cooperatives, and digital platforms.
Registration teams have been dispatched to remote districts like Mbale, Kasese, Bushenyi, and Luwero, while training sessions are being held to ensure farmers understand what’s at stake.
“Time is not on our side,” Iyamulemye warned. “But with commitment and coordination, we can ensure Uganda’s coffee continues to thrive in a rapidly evolving global trade environment.”
With just seven months remaining, the pressure is now on for the entire value chain to align swiftly—or risk a costly exclusion from one of Uganda’s most critical markets.