[ti:Coffee Growers Worry about New EU Anti-deforestation Rules]
[al:As It Is]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-03-28]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]Coffee growers in many countries are worried about a new European rule designed to prevent deforestation.
[00:10.79]Deforestation describes when developers cut down trees to make room for crops, buildings or land where cattle can graze.
[00:22.60]The new rule goes into effect at the end of 2024. 
[00:27.85]It covers products like coffee, cocoa, soy, palm oil, wood, rubber and beef. 
[00:37.66]The European Union says all of those products result in tree cutting.
[00:45.47]The United Nations says deforestation is the world's second-leading cause of carbon emissions after the burning of fossil fuels.
[00:58.83]Large producers must show their products come from land where trees have not been cut down since 2020.
[01:08.64]Smaller producers must do the same but will be permitted to sell their products until July 2025.
[01:18.42]A report from the World Wildlife Fund showed that Europe's imports of products linked to forest-clearing caused the second-most deforestation in the world in 2017. 
[01:33.65]That year, China was first.
[01:36.20] An expert said the new European rule could help prevent more deforestation and push farmers around the world to plant trees, vines and grasses.
[01:49.16]Helen Bellfield is a policy director at Global Canopy, a nonprofit organization based in Britain. 
[01:57.20]It suggests business change their production methods that hurt the environment.
[02:03.86]She said the new EU rules could force governments to help farmers make changes.
[02:10.82]On the other hand, farmers could just sell to countries outside of the EU.
[02:17.10]The world's top coffee producers include Vietnam, Ethiopia and Peru. 
[02:22.83]Growers in those countries worry they will no longer be able to sell in Europe.
[02:29.48]The new EU rules could help coffee farmers like Le Van Tam of Vietnam who has taken the environment into account.
[02:40.03]He first planted coffee in the Central Highlands area in 1995. 
[02:45.32]At the time, he cleared land so he could grow as much coffee as possible.
[02:52.36]But in 2019, he changed his growing methods. 
[02:56.26]Instead of using lots of fertilizers and pesticides, he started planting tamarind trees that add nutrients to the soil. 
[03:06.90]He added black pepper vines and grass, which helps to keep the soil moist and prevents erosion.
[03:16.60]The changes qualified his coffee as "organic," which opened new markets and made his coffee more valuable.
[03:26.05]He did not produce more, but his profits went up, he said.
[03:31.61]Vietnam hopes that more farmers will make changes, which will permit them to sell in Europe and maintain the nation's rank as the world's second-largest coffee producer.
[03:44.79]The news is not as good for those in Ethiopia and Peru.
[03:49.23]Orders for Ethiopian coffee are already falling and Peru's farmers who are in the Amazon River area may not be able to provide information required by the EU.
[04:03.75]"There will be winners and losers," Bellfield said.
[04:08.58]Vietnam depends on Europe for 40 percent of its coffee sales.
[04:13.49]As soon as the new rules came out, the country began working to maintain its market share.
[04:20.55]Vietnamese officials worked with small farmers to make sure their land met the new EU requirements. 
[04:28.20]In addition, it made a database showing where its coffee came from.
[04:35.24]Farmers like Tam got special certificates from international agencies that proved how his beans were grown.
[04:45.19]Tam said the extra work will be worth it because, even if his costs are higher, he can get more money for his coffee.
[04:55.43]"Otherwise, we will always be laborers," he said.
[05:01.05]Small Vietnamese farmers still must get ready for the new rules. 
[05:06.28]They will need technology to prove where their beans came from and that their land is certified by the EU.
[05:17.08]They will also need to be sure the qualified beans are not mixed with banned beans.
[05:26.37]From the harvest to shipment, new systems must be put into place to prevent errors.
[05:34.85]Brazil is another big coffee-producing nation. 
[05:38.75]Since it already sells a lot to Europe, experts say most of its products already meet EU requirements.
[05:50.26]But farmers in Peru and Ethiopia may need more time. 
[05:57.01]Gizat Worku is head of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association. 
[06:04.67]He said collecting data about the land of millions of small farmers will be a problem. 
[06:12.17]"That requires a huge amount of resources," he said.
[06:18.17]Gizat said orders from Europe are already falling. 
[06:22.50]Some coffee exporters are thinking about selling to the Middle East and China instead. 
[06:29.85]Ethiopian coffee sells well in those places.
[06:34.73]"These regulations are going to have a tremendous impact," Gizat said.
[06:41.64]I'm Anna Matteo. And I'm Dan Friedell.