A leading sustainability organisation, Preferred by Nature, has pledged its support to fully sensitize and prepare organisations for compliance with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), set to take effect in December 2025.
The regulation, a directive by the European Union, aims to prevent deforestation and forest degradation linked to products placed on or exported from the EU market.
It requires companies to conduct due diligence, ensuring their products are “deforestation-free” and comply with relevant laws.
Speaking to GhanaWeb Business on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Preferred by Nature and the Danish Embassy on “Navigating EU Deforestation: Opportunities, Challenges & Collaborative Solutions from a Supply Chain Actors’ Perspective,” the organisation’s Global Director of Regional Engagement and Communications, Sandra Razanamandrato, emphasised the importance of bridging gaps in the supply chain to facilitate compliance for both the government and the private sector.
“We’re discussing the European Union Deforestation Regulation, a directive from the EU that will become mandatory for companies on December 31, 2025. Our organisation, Preferred by Nature, is committed to supporting companies in becoming ready and compliant with this regulation.
“We are also working to create awareness and educate people on what the regulation entails, its requirements, and how to comply with it.”
“Today, we have gathered key stakeholders from different sectors, including oil palm, rubber, timber, and cocoa, spanning the entire supply chain. We have representatives from government authorities, the private sector, and civil society to discuss the measures currently in place for compliance, as well as the challenges and opportunities this regulation presents. This dialogue is ongoing, and we are pleased to bring together different sectors in one room to advance this important conversation,” she added.
The Deputy CEO of the Tree Crop Development Authority, Rich Kofi Kofituo, who attended as a stakeholder, stated that the authority seeks to leverage its experience to ensure that all actors within the sector are registered under the law to help scale up the industry.
“We are going to leverage our experience from this initiative to ensure that we register all actors. The goal is to establish traceability so that when commodities such as oil palm are exported to the EU, their origin can be verified, ensuring they are not sourced from deforested areas. This can only be achieved by obtaining quality data from producers across Ghana, particularly those involved in oil palm and rubber cultivation,” he noted.
He also advised farmers to prioritize sustainable practices and avoid deforestation, as climate change has become a pressing global challenge affecting agricultural yields.
SP/MA
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