The EUDR is a regulation which prohibits products from entering the EU market unless they are deforestation-free and legally produced. The Regulation applies to wood, palm oil, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber and cattle, as well as most of the derivatives. Under cocoa, it applies to beans, products and chocolate.
The regulation entered into force on June 29, 2023, with an 18-month preparation period that will expire on December 30, 2024, when it fully enters into application.
However, cocoa farmers in an Open Letter addressed to Janusz Wojciechowski: EU Commissioner for Agriculture, want the implementation deadline postponed to December 2025 to enable better preparations by the smallholder cocoa farmers, whom they said has been hampered by a lack of adequate information on EUDR at their farm gate levels.
The letter signed by Adeola Adegoke National President, Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), was also sent to President Bola Tinubu; Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security; Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.
“Our appeal is based on the imminent negative impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, if the present date is not shifted by one year”, the letter read.
In the letter, they noted that Nigeria is one of the cocoa origins countries in the World, contributes about 6.5% to the global cocoa production and accounted for 29℅ of the total agricultural export in 2023, valued at N1.24 trillion with an estimated value estimated to be N 356.16 billion, makes it imperative for the EU Commission to reconsider the need for the postponement of EUDR for one year to enable better preparations.
“EUDR compliant might be pushing our cocoa farmers into more poverty if the time frame is not re-adjusted”, they emphasized.
They acknowledged that Nigeria’s cocoa could be at risk if we do not take necessary legal steps to stop and remediate deforestation and come up with strategies for gaining forest loss in cocoa communities through our collective action.
According to the Cocoa farmers, Nigeria’s cocoa industry worth $770 million will be at risk if urgent steps are not taken to solve some sustainability issues like deforestation and traceability.
They, however, assured the EU that steps are being taken to comply with best practices.
“We have embarked on an advocacy and capacity trainings for our cocoa farmers in the areas of the protection of our ecosystem, based on the production of deforestation-free cocoa and protection of the rights of our labours and children. These trainings were done in partnership with other stakeholders across the cocoa producing communities tagged: Cocoa Farmers Roundtable Conference”, the letter read.
“CFAN also organized the first privately driven and publicly enabled Nigerian Cocoa Summit & Award in order to find workable solutions to the issues affecting the cocoa industry. The Summit brainstormed extensively on the EUDR coming to force, living Income deferential, national cocoa plan, inadequate local cocoa processing, value addition & consumption and the need for Nigeria to have a cocoa regulatory framework that will drive the industry, rather than the system being on autopilot that has not helped the growth of the sector.”
The farmers commended the EU commission for their effort and cooperation to make the Nigeria and global cocoa industry sustainable, and pledged utmost cooperation to build a collective sustainable global cocoa economy.
