In the context of the European Union (EU) applying the EUDR, coffee trees in Quang Tri are facing great challenges but also opening up opportunities for sustainable development. Compliance with the EUDR not only helps local coffee products open the door to the international market but also affirms the commitment of Quang Tri farmers and businesses in preserving forest resources. Proactively adapting to these requirements will be the “key” to enhancing the value and brand of Quang Tri coffee, while contributing to protecting the ecosystem and developing the green economy.
Compliance with EUDR helps Quang Tri coffee products open doors to international markets, contributing to preserving forest resources - Photo: LA
EUDR is the latest EU regulation related to green and sustainable development, which specifically regulates agricultural products that do not cause deforestation. Among Vietnam's main export sectors to the EU market, coffee is the agricultural product that will be greatly affected when this regulation is applied.
Accordingly, 100% of Vietnamese coffee products imported into the European market need to have a forest information system, production area information system, legal issues in land use and traceability.
The deadline for large companies to comply with the EUDR is 30 December 2025; for small and micro businesses, it is 30 June 2026. From this point on, companies will not be allowed to export coffee to the European market unless they can prove that their products have not been linked to deforestation and forest degradation since 31 December 2020.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hong Phuong informed that there are 4 basic requirements that enterprises must comply with according to EUDR, including the coordinate location of the cultivated land plot, having a forest boundary map at December 31, 2020 and the time of assessment, checking data using multi-temporal satellite images, tracing products to the geographical location of the cultivated plot including information about the producer, productivity, output, product types...
As such, the EUDR information requirements affect the entire coffee value chain, from farmers in the producing regions to all intermediary stakeholders. Furthermore, the EUDR requires stakeholders such as farmers, processors, cooperatives and buyers to segregate EUDR-compliant coffee and coffee products from non-compliant products during processing.
Quang Tri has nearly 4,000 hectares of coffee, of which the harvested area is nearly 3,600 hectares. The average yield is nearly 1.2 tons of coffee beans/ha, the average output is about 4,400 tons of coffee beans/ha, mainly concentrated in Huong Hoa district with more than 6,000 households participating in coffee growing, of which over 50% are ethnic minority households.
Although the output is not much, the characteristics of climate, soil and nearly 100 years of experience in growing Arabica coffee of the local people have created a competitive advantage compared to coffee in other regions, known by domestic and foreign customers for its delicious quality. Currently, many enterprises and cooperatives producing and processing coffee have chosen to develop high-quality clean coffee, specialty coffee to pursue and have had orders to export coffee directly to the US and Europe.
Compliance with EUDR regulations will help the coffee industry in the province change its production practices, from traditional production to high-quality, organic, VietGAP, Rainforest Alliance production... to meet the consumption market. There will be a number of individuals, organizations, and businesses investing in closed production stages from production to finished products to create high economic value.
Along with that is the close connection in the consumption of coffee products with coffee purchasing and exporting companies... with certain requirements on quality. Thereby, contributing to improving the scale as well as the quality of Quang Tri coffee.
However, according to Ms. Phuong, compliance with EUDR is currently facing challenges such as: increased production costs; the number of coffee growing households with documents proving origin, land use rights for production as well as legal issues in land use is still quite low.
The implementation time is quite urgent while Quang Tri coffee is small-scale, not concentrated, mainly grown by households, so tracing the origin is very difficult; there is pressure to recall and refund from European partners if deforestation or forest degradation is detected in the shipment.
In particular, in the past 2 years, coffee prices have increased, so the risk of people expanding coffee cultivation by encroaching on forest land will occur if not well managed. To adapt to the EUDR regulations, on December 23, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 238/KH-UBND on implementing the action framework to adapt to the European Regulation on the export of goods and products related to deforestation and forest degradation in the province.
Accordingly, along with disseminating and popularizing EUDR regulations, a provincial public-private working group was established to implement regulations on production and export of coffee, goods and products related to deforestation and forest degradation in Europe. Departments, branches and localities continue to implement technical solutions.
Review and evaluate the current status of coffee growing land; build and complete a database of coffee growing areas. At the same time, closely monitor high-risk coffee growing areas such as areas intercropped with forests; increase patrols and community supervision to protect forests.
“Proactively adapting to EUDR regulations is not only a task but also an opportunity for the Quang Tri coffee industry to reach out to international markets,” Ms. Phuong affirmed.
Le An
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/chu-dong-dap-ung-quy-dinh-chong-pha-rung-cua-lien-minh-chau-au-190864.htm
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