By Faridat Salifu
The European Union (EU), in collaboration with the Nigerian government and industry stakeholders, has reviewed the compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in Nigeria’s cocoa and other critical agricultural value chains.
The review, funded by the EU, assessed the nation’s preparedness to meet EUDR requirements, which aim to curb the EU market’s impact on global deforestation and biodiversity loss.
NatureNews notes that the EUDR applies to products like cocoa, palm oil, soy, coffee, rubber, timber, and derivatives, including chocolate and furniture.
With the EU accounting for 67 per cent of Nigeria’s cocoa exports, compliance in this sector has become critical for Nigerian producers, according to stakeholders.
In his remarks, the Head of Cooperation for the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, emphasized the EU’s dual goals of environmental protection and climate change mitigation, noting that virgin land often cleared for cocoa farming needs sustainable, deforestation-free alternatives.
“Through EUDR, we discourage deforestation, but we are also here to support local farmers with improved agro-ecological techniques and better productivity,” De Luca said at a recent workshop in Abuja.
The event also introduced the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D), which mandates companies to mitigate environmental and social risks. According to De Luca, the CS3D requires companies to assess risks across their supply chains and comply with international standards covering issues from water use to child labour.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Ajayi Olutobaba, Deputy Director of Cocoa, expressed appreciation for the EU’s collaborative approach with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Kyari announced that a National Taskforce on EUDR has been established, comprising key players in the value chain, to coordinate efforts to meet EUDR requirements.
“The Taskforce, which I inaugurated, aims to establish a unified national approach for compliance,” Kyari stated, adding that operations are underway to secure deforestation-free supply chains for Nigerian cocoa and other agricultural products.
The EU’s commissioned expert, Javier Sánchez, highlighted the long-term benefits of EUDR compliance despite the short-term challenges it presents to producing countries.
“The EUDR should be seen as an opportunity to enhance sustainability, create transparent value chains, and integrate small producers into the global market,” he said. Compliance, he noted, will improve the traceability of Nigerian cocoa and coffee products, allowing consumers to verify their origins.
Sánchez underscored the critical role of the private sector, particularly EU-based importers, in implementing the EUDR, which was introduced on June 29, 2023
Non-compliant entities will face significant sanctions, prompting these importers to ensure that upstream suppliers, like cooperatives and middlemen, have verifiable data on product origins.
“While the government cannot substitute the private sector’s role, it can aid compliance by developing regulatory tools and increasing awareness across all levels of the supply chain,” he added.
With the deadline to meet the EU’s deforestation-free requirements approaching, Nigeria’s government and the private sector have committed to taking necessary measures to maintain the nation’s access to the EU market and promote sustainable development in agriculture.