MIDAGRI: The European Commission has classified Peru as a standard risk country under the EUDR

As part of compliance with the European Union's deforestation regulations (EUDR), the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation reported that Peru was classified as a "standard risk" country, along with other countries in the region such as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

The risk classification defines the level of inspection that the competent European authorities will carry out on importers of Peruvian coffee and cocoa. Thus, inspection, i.e., verification of due diligence records, will be carried out on 3% of importers, a significantly lower percentage if Peru had been classified as a "high-risk" country (9%).

Even though the standard risk is encouraging for the country, collaboration between the Peruvian government, producer associations, international cooperation agencies, private companies, and EU importers remains crucial. EU importers have an additional incentive to continue improving their policies, practices, and interventions that will contribute, in the future, to a "low risk" classification, making Peruvian products potentially more attractive to the European market.

The European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) seeks to prevent products such as cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, rubber, and timber, linked to deforestation, from being traded in the European Union.

To this end, it requires that these products not originate from lands deforested after December 31, 2020, that they comply with the laws of the country where they were produced, and that the importer submit a due diligence declaration.

In this way, products such as coffee, cocoa and palm oil can only be traded in the European Union market if they meet three conditions: (i) be free of deforestation, (ii) have been produced in accordance with the legislation of the country of origin, and (iii) be supported by a due diligence declaration from the importer.

Within this framework, MIDAGRI has been developing actions to support producers in meeting the information requirements requested by the European operator (importer), based on three strategic axes: i) generation and consolidation of reliable information, ii) clarification of the Peruvian legal framework applicable to the production of coffee, cocoa and palm oil, and iii) promotion of risk management throughout the supply chain.