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MONROVIA, Liberia — August 28, 2026 — The Liberia Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), in collaboration with the European Forest Institute (EFI), has engaged agricultural exporters and members of the National Agriculture Traceability Steering Committee on Liberia’s preparedness to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The engagement, held at the Royal Grand Hotel in Monrovia, brought together key government institutions, exporters and technical partners to discuss ongoing efforts to establish a traceability and compliance framework that will enable Liberian agricultural commodities, particularly cocoa and coffee, to access the European market.
Opening the forum, LACRA Director General Christopher Sankolo described EUDR compliance as one of the major challenges the government inherited in 2024, stressing that compliance is critical to safeguarding market access for Liberia’s farmers.
Sankolo said he first became aware of the EUDR during his induction into office and subsequently sought clarification on why the regulation had become an urgent issue for Liberia.
According to him, Liberia was previously not considered a high-risk country in relation to deforestation concerns, but the situation changed around 2022–2023, particularly with the expansion of cocoa farming in southeastern Liberia.
“The major challenge starts with even our farmers,” Sankolo said, emphasizing that farmers are central to Liberia’s agricultural value chains.
He stressed that without farmers there would be no buyers or exporters, adding that the sustainability of Liberia’s agricultural sector ultimately depends on farmers having reliable markets for their produce.
“Agriculture is driven by market,” Sankolo noted, warning that farmers could face serious economic difficulties if their commodities lose access to international markets because of non-compliance with EUDR requirements.
The EUDR requires companies placing certain commodities and products on the European Union market to demonstrate that they are not associated with recent deforestation or forest degradation and meet other legality requirements.
Sankolo said the government is therefore working with several institutions, including the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local government authorities, to address the compliance challenge.
He said Liberia already has important tools that could support the process, including the national forest cover map and information on designated farmland in communities.
“We are working together on this as a team with the FDA, with the local government, with EPA, and all of them, because this thing involves all of us,” he said.
The LACRA Director General also disclosed that preliminary results from an EUDR pilot exercise conducted in parts of southeastern Liberia had raised concerns about the location of agricultural farms in relation to forest areas.
According to Sankolo, initial testing indicated that approximately 70 to 75 percent of the areas assessed were classified as forest or deep forest areas, raising questions about their compliance with the EUDR.
He said the findings underscore the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, farmers, exporters and development partners to establish accurate information on farms and their locations.
Sankolo further highlighted the broader economic implications of EUDR compliance, particularly for rural communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on cocoa and coffee production.
He said failure to comply could threaten market access and negatively affect rural incomes, adding that government has a responsibility to ensure that farmers remain connected to international markets.
The Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority, Hon. Rudolph J. Merab, also underscored the importance of institutional coordination in addressing the EUDR requirements.
Merab said the FDA was committed to working with partners to ensure that mapping and other technical processes are undertaken properly and in harmony with national rules and procedures.
“If we want to get a good market output, obviously for people who are selling cocoa and coffee, the market is actually in Europe,” Merab said.
He urged participants to pay close attention to the technical briefing and findings from the pilot exercises so that Liberia can better understand the requirements and determine the way forward.
“Liberia must be in compliance, so the farmers can have market to sell,” he emphasized.
Technical Briefing and Lofa Pilot
Following the opening session, participants received a technical briefing on the EUDR compliance framework and an update on the Lofa County pilot.
The briefing, led by EFI, provided an overview of the EUDR and insights from an EUDR “dry run” designed to test Liberia’s readiness and identify practical challenges in meeting the regulation’s requirements.
The Lofa pilot is expected to provide important lessons on farm mapping, traceability, forest-risk assessment and the documentation required to demonstrate compliance.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for exporters and members of the National Agriculture Traceability Steering Committee to examine findings from the pilots and discuss how Liberia can strengthen its national traceability system.
The discussions are part of broader efforts to ensure that Liberia’s cocoa, coffee and other agricultural commodities can meet international sustainability and traceability standards while protecting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
For LACRA, the challenge extends beyond regulatory compliance. It is also about ensuring that farmers understand the implications of EUDR, are properly mapped and documented, and can continue to participate in lucrative international markets.
Sankolo said the government would continue working with EFI and other partners to address the gaps identified through the pilots and build a coordinated national response to EUDR requirements.
The meeting ended with a call for continued collaboration among government agencies, exporters, farmers and technical partners to ensure that Liberia is adequately prepared for the evolving demands of international agricultural markets.
