According to the New Times on November 10th, Claude Bizimana, CEO of the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), stated that authorities are closely monitoring the expansion of coffee plantations to ensure that coffee seedlings are not planted on land that has already been cut down. This measure is consistent with the EU's new deforestation regulations for the export of agricultural products such as coffee, cocoa, and palm oil. The regulation requires exporters to prove that the goods entering the EU market have not caused deforestation and can trace their origin. Bizimana pointed out, "EU regulations clearly require that our coffee must not be produced in deforested areas. To this end, we have established a reliable traceability framework and continue to work with farmers to ensure that planting expansion is only carried out in areas that have not been deforested." The EU's Forest Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) was originally scheduled to come into effect in December 2024, but has been postponed to December 2025. The regulation prohibits the sale of products produced on deforested land after December 31, 2020, and requires exporters to submit a due diligence statement to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements.
