According to the New Times on August 24th, Rwandan coffee exporters are intensifying their efforts to comply with the EU's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), despite industry insiders and experts pointing out that the process is costly. EUDR requires companies exporting products such as coffee, cocoa, and palm oil to the EU to prove that they have not participated in deforestation. The product must not originate from land cultivated after December 31, 2020. Exporters must trace the source of the product and submit a due diligence report to the EU system. These regulations were originally scheduled to take effect in December 2024, but were postponed and are now scheduled to be implemented in December 2025. The EU region is one of the main markets for Rwandan coffee. In 2023/2024, Switzerland and other countries imported 3710 tons of coffee worth 18.4 million US dollars, accounting for 23% of the total coffee export revenue that year.
