Since early 2025, the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI), with support by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been leading the preparation to meet the requirements of EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) with focus on coffee and cocoa.
The “Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems” (SAFE) project in Peru collaborates with relevant actors in defining a conducive national EUDR framework, to strengthen the collaboration among key stakeholders in the sector and to build the necessary capacities, especially in cooperatives and producer organizations.
Building capacities for cooperatives and smallholder members to get ready for EUDR
SAFE is implementing an advisory and training program to strengthen the management capacities of export cooperatives to get ready for the EUDR. The program consists of three modules and is aimed at managers, directors, and technical staff from seven coffee and cocoa producer organizations in the central Amazon rainforest, collectively representing 3,350 producers.
- Module 1 (May–July 2025): “Supply Chain Management and Process Optimization for EUDR Compliance.” Participants developed internal process flowcharts and KPIs, with support from Rikolto and PUCP.
- Module 2 (August 2025): “Risk Assessment for EUDR Adaptation.” Focused on EUDR due diligence, organized with PROMPERU, IDB, and MIDAGRI. Over 40 cooperative representatives, private sector actors, and institutions such as DEVIDA, Agromercado, and certification specialists participated.
- Module 3 (Upcoming): “Digitalization for EUDR Adaptation.” Will establish a strategy and action plan to digitize processes, enabling efficient data sharing on geolocation, traceability, legality, and risk assessment.
Together with other upcoming capacity building measures – mainly implemented with the NGO Solidaridad – the program also helps to mitigate market volatility risks and improving the socioeconomic conditions of at least 1,000 coffee and cocoa producers. In addition, it encourages the adoption of sustainable practices across 9,000 hectares complying with the EUDR, as well as 9,000 hectares of forest to be conserved – together an area equivalent to nearly twice the size of Paris.
TEI Eurotrip: LATAM and EU partnerships
In May, a Peruvian delegation from MIDAGRI and PROMPERU (under the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism – MINCETUR) visited Belgium and Germany to engage in a knowledge exchange and joint learning exercise to refine the strategic approach to the EUDR in Peru. The TEI Europtrip is part of a broader series of coordinated actions by the European Union and strategic partners to support producers, cooperatives and exporting companies in adapting to this stringent environmental regulation.
Visit by ambassadors and MIDAGRI to the central Amazon Rainforest
To promote joint learning with local stakeholders, a high-level delegation traveled to Satipo, Pichanaki, and Pangoa in the central Amazon rainforest. The group included Carmen Vegas, Vice Minister for Agrarian Development Policy and Oversight (MIDAGRI); Jonathan Hatwell, EU Ambassador; Alexander Kofman, Ambassador of the Netherlands; and Sabine Bloch, Ambassador of Germany.
Through visits to farms, cooperatives, and export facilities, the delegation learned about both progress and challenges in adapting to the new regulation. Producers, collectors, and cooperatives shared their strategies, while EU representatives explained the goals of the EUDR and highlighted Europe’s commitment to supporting Peru in this transition.
“This visit has been extremely valuable in enabling us to see first-hand how the SAFE project is supporting producers.”
Meetings with local authorities – including the Municipality of Pichanaki, cooperatives, and organizations like DEVIDA and the Junín Chamber of Commerce underscored the importance of collaboration. The mission revealed not only the readiness of supply chain actors but also the crucial role of initiatives like SAFE in providing practical solutions for compliance.
To learn more about the visit to the central Amazon Rainforest, you can watch this video:
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More InformationDefining the national EUDR framework in Peru
The learnings from these activities, together with other SAFE workstreams, are key building blocks for shaping Peru’s national EUDR framework. MIDAGRI is leading this process through a Multisectoral Working Group that brings together government institutions, private sector actors such as Association of Exporters (ADEX institute), the Peruvian Association of Cocoa Producers (APP Cacao), National Coffee Board and the Peruvian Chamber of Coffee and Cocoa, along with NGOs, academia, civil society, and regional governments.
SAFE supports MIDAGRI by contributing to several processes: assessing and defining national legality criteria in collaboration with the European Forest Institute (EFI), preparing technical and communication materials for broad outreach, and linking the national farmer registry (Padrón de Productores Agrarios (PPA)) to global forest monitoring platforms like Global Forest Watch and FAO’s WHISP. This integration helps verify smallholder plots against zero-deforestation criteria.
As a joint effort of all the stakeholders and different partnerships, Peru is well positioned to comply with the EUDR requirements allowing market access to the EU and capitalizing on sustainable production and deforestation free value chains to benefit people and planet.
