www.africaagrimarket.com 🌍 Africa’s Cocoa, Coffee and Timber Exports Face New EU Timeline Under Deforestation Rules

Africa’s major agricultural and forestry exports—including cocoa, coffee and timber—are facing fresh compliance deadlines following the European Union’s adjustment of its deforestation regulation timeline. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to curb global deforestation linked to products sold within the bloc, requires exporters to prove that commodities entering the EU are not sourced from deforested land. 

The regulation applies to key products such as cocoa, coffee, timber, palm oil, rubber and soy—many of which are critical to African economies. Under the revised timeline, large companies exporting to the EU will be required to fully comply with the rules earlier, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are granted a longer adjustment period. Exporters must provide detailed traceability data, including geolocation information of farms or forest plots, and demonstrate that production did not contribute to deforestation after the EU’s cut-off date. 

African producers and governments have welcomed the timeline adjustment but continue to raise concerns about readiness. Many smallholder farmers, who dominate cocoa and coffee production in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ethiopia and Uganda, face challenges related to digital mapping, certification costs and access to technical support. Industry groups warn that without sufficient investment and capacity-building, some African exporters could be temporarily shut out of the EU market, which remains one of the continent’s largest trading partners. Timber-exporting countries in Central and West Africa are also working to strengthen forest governance systems to meet the regulation’s requirements.

The EU maintains that the regulation is essential to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, emphasizing that it is working with partner countries to support compliance through technical assistance and cooperation frameworks. As the new timeline approaches, African exporters are accelerating efforts to align supply chains with EU standards, balancing environmental sustainability with the need to protect livelihoods and trade flows.