Modalities to minimize the impact of the European Union Deforestation Regulation(EUDR) on smallholder coffee farms were discussed by senior government officials and EU representatives representatives last week. Semereta Sewasew, State Minister for Finance, expressed concerns over the achievability of compliance with the EU's regulation in a short period of time for a country that has mostly small and fragmented farmland. She underscored the committed will of the government to implement the 2.2 billion Br action plan unveiled two weeks back for improving compliance while acknowledging the difficulty of meeting stipulations of the EUDR in the short term. David Krivanek, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia, reiterated the commitments in the Regulation to fight against climate change and its determination to ensure commodities that will be available on the EU market are no longer contributing to deforestation. Nonetheless, he expressed plans by the EU to help Ethiopia with the implementation of the action plan alongside other development partners. The EUDR was ratified by the European Parliament in June last year. It effectively banks seven types of commodities, including coffee, from entering the market without due diligence statements proving no deforestation occurred during their production since 2020. Ethiopia exports around 40pc of its coffee to European markets which amounted to around 500 million dollars last year.
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