At least 170,000 coffee farmers and value-chain actors have been registered in Uganda’s national database as the country approaches the December 31st deadline to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulations (EUDR).

According to Israel Ssebugenyi, the Technology Development Manager at the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), this number has been achieved within the first two weeks of the registration drive.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, together with UCDA, initiated the national registration last month.

This move is crucial for Uganda to maintain access to the European Union coffee market, which is a key destination for the country’s coffee exports.

The EUDR mandates that all coffee exported to the EU must be traceable throughout its value chain, addressing concerns about quality, environmental degradation, and human rights.

Ssebugenyi stated that the company overseeing the registration has so far recorded information from at least 170,000 individuals, mainly coffee farmers spread across various regions.

However, this number represents only a small portion of the estimated 1.6 million households engaged in coffee farming nationwide. Despite the gap, Ssebugenyi remains confident that the registration process will ultimately cover the entire target population.

Ssebugenyi called on local leaders and stakeholders to mobilise farmers and encourage participation, noting that misconceptions had initially made some communities reluctant to register.

However, he mentioned that increased sensitisation efforts are helping change attitudes.

Ponsiano Matovu, General Secretary of the Greater Masaka Coffee Federation, urged the government to support cooperative unions to aid the registration process.

He emphasised that beyond meeting EU market requirements, the registration could also help cooperatives better organise primary farmers’ societies, strengthening the cooperative movement overall.