FG inaugurates task force to curb deforestation

The Federal Government has inaugurated a National Task Force (NTF) on the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), focusing on ensuring Nigeria’s compliance with the regulation on deforestation-free agricultural products.

Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, announced this during the committee’s inauguration on Tuesday in Abuja.

Kyari said that deforestation and forest degradation were significant contributors to climate change and biodiversity loss, and the NTF’s establishment is a strategic step toward addressing these issues in alignment with the EUDR.

The minister, who chairs the task force, explained that the EU’s deforestation regulation came into effect on June 29, 2023, with a mandatory compliance deadline of December 2024.

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The regulation targets commodities associated with high deforestation risks, including timber, soya, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, and cattle, along with derived products such as chocolate, leather, tyres, and furniture.

“The EU mandates that any company wishing to place these commodities on the EU market or export them from the EU must adhere to mandatory due diligence rules,” Kyari said.

He added that “Only products that are deforestation-free — meaning they have not contributed to deforestation or forest degradation after December 31, 2020 — and are legal according to the domestic laws of the country of origin, will be permitted in the EU market.”

He described the EU as a major trade partner, and non-compliance with the EUDR could severely impact Nigeria’s export markets for cocoa, rubber, soya, and timber, which account for 80 percent, 7 percent, 7 percent and percent, respectively, of Nigeria’s 523 million Euro export trade to the EU.

Addressing the task force members, Kyari stressed the importance of collaboration to establish a central national database for traceability and certification, as well as forest mapping and due diligence to ensure deforestation-free products.

He highlighted Ghana’s progress in mapping 1.2 million farms and preparing to trace cocoa beans from farms to ships, urging Nigeria to follow suit and avoid lagging in compliance.

“As members of the NTF on EUDR, we face a critical and urgent task. We must work together, with both government and private sector stakeholders, to meet these standards and secure Nigeria’s position in the global market,” Kyari noted.