UCDA National Coffee Registry Rollout: What European Buyers Need to Know About Farmer ID Data
By Sandra Nansbuga
UCDA National Coffee Registry Rollout: What European Buyers Need to Know About Farmer ID Data
Uganda's government launched a nationwide coffee farmer and value-chain-actor registration exercise on 1 October 2024, issuing farmers physical ID cards tied to a unique identifying number and GPS-mapped farm records, with the explicit goal of building a National Coffee Register that supports EU Deforestation Regulation compliance. For European buyers, this registry is the underlying data layer that makes farm-level traceability claims verifiable rather than self-reported.
What the registry actually collects
At the launch event on 1 October 2024, Uganda's Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries stated that trained enumerators would register all coffee value chain actors, including farmers, traders, and processors, recording names, farm names and locations, and the type of coffee grown, while also mapping farms by capturing GPS coordinates. The same remarks confirmed the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) stores and manages this data in partnership with Uganda's National Information Technology Authority, under Uganda's Data Protection Act. UCDA's own account of the program states directly that the data collected is being used to establish a National Coffee Register and to help Uganda conform to EUDR requirements. Separate reporting from Business Focus, quoting the Agriculture Minister, confirmed that registered farmers receive a physical card carrying their personal details, a unique identifying number, and their farm's details.
On scale, UCDA's website cites a figure of 1.6 million farmers registered, while Café Africa, an industry coffee-sector organization active in Uganda, reports 1.65 million coffee-farming households registered and mapped through 2025 joint programming. Europe has historically been the largest destination for Uganda's coffee: MAAIF's own figures show Europe imported 4,023,480 bags of Ugandan coffee in FY2023/24, roughly 66% of that year's export volume, which is part of why this registry matters disproportionately to European buyers specifically.
What this means for buyers
A national ID system gives buyers something to verify against, not just something to trust. Because each registered farmer holds a unique identifying number tied to GPS-mapped farm coordinates, and that data sits in a government-managed system rather than solely with an individual exporter, European buyers building EUDR due diligence files have an independent reference point to check farm-level claims against, rather than relying only on documentation an exporter compiled itself.
Registration status is a supplier qualification question, not an assumption. With reported registration figures in the 1.6-1.65 million range against Uganda's roughly 1.8 million total smallholder coffee farmers, a meaningful share of farmers may still be outside the system. Buyers should ask exporters directly whether the specific farms or cooperatives supplying a given lot are registered and card-holding, rather than treating national registration progress as proof that every lot is covered.
A farmer ID number is not the same as a completed due diligence statement. The registry captures identity and location data, which is necessary input for an EUDR due diligence statement, but it is not itself the geolocation file format the EU's Information System requires for submission. Buyers should confirm with exporters how registry data is actually converted into the specific due diligence documentation needed at the point of import, not assume registration alone satisfies that requirement.
Institutional continuity is worth confirming given ongoing changes to Uganda's coffee regulatory structure. UCDA has continued operating its registration, inspection, and certification functions, but Uganda's coffee regulatory framework has been undergoing institutional changes in recent years. Buyers with long-term sourcing relationships may want to periodically confirm with exporters that registry data management and EUDR compliance responsibilities remain clearly assigned.
FAQ
When did Uganda's national coffee farmer registration program begin?
The nationwide registration exercise was formally launched on 1 October 2024, according to Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
What data does a registered farmer's ID card and file actually contain?
Registered farmers receive a card with a unique identifying number and personal details, while the underlying registry record includes farm name, location, coffee type, and GPS-mapped coordinates collected by enumerators.
How many Ugandan coffee farmers are currently registered?
UCDA's website cites 1.6 million farmers registered, while Café Africa reports 1.65 million coffee-farming households registered and mapped through 2025 joint programming, against an estimated 1.8 million total smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda.
Sources
Sources: launch event on 1 October 2024 | UCDA's own account of the program | Business Focus | UCDA's website | Café Africa