Following tariffs imposed by the European Union on Namibian agricultural products from deforested areas, the Namibian minister of agriculture has urged farmers to find alternative markets for charcoal and beef products. Introduced in 2023, the EU regulations require farmers to comply with the new rules in order to access the European market. Europe is the top importer of Namibia’s beef, with the union consuming about 80 percent of the country’s total exports valued at roughly $23.5 million, and there are concerns that the regulations will negatively impact Namibia’s export market. Namibian Minister of Agriculture Calle Schlettwein has called the new rules stringent. “When you want to conduct agriculture, you have to clear lands. We have a number of industries in the agricultural sector where we do have an impact on deforestation. And I said that farmers must be careful that if they do that, they must be in compliance with these regulations,” says Schlettwein. It’s not just Namibia. Countries including Brazil, Cameroon and Nigeria are also affected by the EU’s new tariffs, with products such as cocoa, soy, palm oil and coffee on the list for regulation.
