Shade-grown coffee at a Coffee estate in Kodagu district (Coorg), Karnataka. File
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K.
Indian coffee industry has a sigh of relief as the EU Parliament just voted in favour of a proposal by the European Commission to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) allowing coffee growers, exporters and traders additional time for compliance.
Accordingly, large coffee operators and exporters must meet EUDR regulations by December 30, 2025, while micro and small growers and traders have time until June 30, 2026, to comply, as against the earlier EU set mandatory due diligence procedures and compliance deadline of December 2024.
Being EUDR-compliant indicates a grower’s forest-based coffee produce is legal and not sourced from any deforested land or unethically cultivated.
Notably, over 70% of Indian coffees are sold in EU countries, and therefore the compliance extension has direct implications on coffee players in India, although India was one among the few countries which grew coffee under two tier thick shade of native trees, say industry players.
“Our coffee estates, in addition to coffee and shade trees have diverse flora and fauna. So Indian coffees are most sustainably grown. In spite of that India opposed EUDR since the compliance do not incentivise sustainably grown coffees,” Coffee Board of India CEO and Secretary, K.G. Jagadeesha told The Hindu.
“Now given that EUDR is a regulation already passed by EU, we have no option but to comply as 70% of Indian coffee exported is going to EU. Coffee Board is developing a platform for assisting coffee producers in India to comply with EUDR. We also welcome the EU decision to extend the deadline,” added Mr. Jagadeesha.
However, the Coffee Board CEO said EUDR compliance burden on planters and growers would be huge as it required technological and financial resources which won’t be compensated.
Expressing similar concerns K G Rajeev, Chairman, Karnataka Planters’ Association which represent over 70% of coffee growers in the country, said, “There are challenges in mobilisation of resources to invest by small and medium sized holdings to be EUDR compliant. Also, there are elements of ambiguity. Strict enforcement without clarity on methodology to be implemented may not have desired results. All these may have adverse impact on productivity and profitability of the industry.”
According to Mr. Rajeev, EUDR is a regulation with requirements for due diligence and traceability, which needs lot of data to demonstrate compliance both on ground and documentation.
He insisted that Indian coffee couldn’t be compared with coffees in any other geographies as it was predominantly grown under shade. Coffee activities also encouraged preservation of existing forests which in turn provided habitat for variety of wildlife, avian populations and thus promoted natural biodiversity, he argued.
Instead of putting the onus of compliance only on growers, industry institutions and government bodies should help in establishing compliance of regulations, he opined, adding that eco-friendly practices with improved soil health and carbon sequestration aligns with EUDR focus of protection of biodiversity and ecosystem.
Published – November 16, 2024 11:03 pm IST
