Kenya Races to Meet EU Coffee Import Rules by 2025 Deadline

In Summary

• Kenya intensifies efforts to comply with EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by December 30, 2025.
• EUDR requires coffee to be traceable to non-deforested land post-2020.
• 55% of Kenya’s coffee exports (KSh 90 billion) go to the EU.
• 30% of coffee farms (32,688 hectares) geo-mapped; full mapping due in two months.
• Multi-agency task force and cooperatives lead compliance efforts.
• Non-compliance risks excluding smallholder farmers from EU market.

Kenya is racing against time to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which takes effect on December 30, 2025. The regulation requires that coffee imports be traceable to land that was not deforested after December 31, 2020. According to the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), 55 percent of Kenya’s coffee exports, worth KSh 90 billion over the past five years, are sent to the EU. Failure to meet the new standards could shut smallholder farmers out of this critical market, the AFA warned on July 28, 2025.

The AFA, through its Coffee Directorate, has mobilized a multi-agency task force, including the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Space Agency, and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, to geo-map all 109,384 hectares of coffee farms across 33 counties. To date, 30% (32,688 hectares) in 16 counties have been mapped using satellite imagery, with the exercise set to conclude within two months. “This mapping is critical to secure market access and protect livelihoods,” said AFA Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru.

Felix Mutuiri, AFA Coffee Directorate Director, emphasized urgency. “We can’t let 55% of our exports hang in the balance. Kenya is on track, but we need a harmonized, data-driven approach,” he said. Cooperatives, central to Kenya’s coffee supply chain, are being equipped to guide farmers in meeting EUDR requirements, including digital traceability via tools like TerraTrac, which costs $0.30 per farmer.

Smallholder farmers, who produce 70% of Kenya’s coffee, face significant challenges, including the cost of certification. “The requirements are tough for small-scale farmers. We need support to afford mapping and compliance,” said Jane Wambui, a farmer in Nyeri. The government is rolling out education campaigns and working with organizations like the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT to mitigate risks of exclusion.

The EUDR, part of the EU’s climate neutrality goal by 2050, also applies to cocoa, soy, beef, palm oil, rubber, and wood. Stakeholders see it as an opportunity to enhance sustainability. “This is a chance to streamline our coffee sector for global markets,” said George Watene of the Global Coffee Platform. The government aims for full compliance by November 2025 to safeguard the livelihoods of 1.5 million rural households.