Agri-Business 

Monday, March 24, 2014 

Zanzibar improves cloves productivity

UNGUJA, Tanzania – Zanzibar enjoys a cool tropical climate favorable for the production of many warm-climate crops, but clove trees have largely filled its landscape, particularly on the island of Pemba. 

For many years, it was the leading producer of cloves in the world but the age of clove trees, diseases, agronomic- and a number of human-related factors have caused a steep decline in the annual production levels. 

Clove trees thrives best in deep soils on western sides of both islands, Unguja and Pemba but fast decline caused a panic to farmers and the Zanzibar economy, taking into consideration cloves is a leading cash crops in Zanzibar.

Zanzibar Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), Director, Haji Saleh told East African Business Week “We are now working on the improvement of cloves so as to boost its productivity.”

Saleh said the scientific programme to improve cloves production will involve all stakeholders from the farmers’ get to the exporters, so as to serve the leading cash crops as well as to boost Zanzibar forex earnings through export.

He said under ZARI there are a number of research stations and sub stations which support the implementation of research agenda that the institute has been mandated. 

Under new Act, the institutes is mandated to undertake research in areas of crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries, although, currently it is mainly focuses on crops both food and cash crops

Although much of the research works are concentrated at Kizimbani station of the institute, other stations and sub stations also play significant role especially when the issue of linking farmers to through on farm research works is concerned.  

“Currently most of the research works are for crops commodities  and are of conventionally in nature with a number of research disciplines, including  plant breeding, plant pathology, soil and plant nutrition research, crop disease and pests management, and micro propagation through tissue culture techniques,” he said. 

However, he noted little works so far has been done on other specialized research works such those dealing with climate change, biotechnology and molecular science and genetics. 

“The plan is to have in place all kind of research that will benefit our farmers through increased productivity and quality of products and cloves is our main focus,” he told East African Business Week. 

He said the research programmes that fall under our research agenda include Rice and Cereals research programme, root and tuber research programme (cassava, sweet potato and yam), soil fertility research programme, horticulture research programme, coconut research programme, spice research programme. 

“Since the 1950s, clove production in Zanzibar has fallen to 10,000 tons per year from 24,000 and the number of clove trees has more than halved to about 2 million,” Abubakar Mohamed Ali, the Executive Director of the Zanzibar Clove Producers Organization, ZACPO said.

“Those which are still in existence are old and non-productive,” he said.

Cloves were first grown on the archipelago in the 18th century: at one point, cultivation in plantations used slave labor. They generated wealth and riches for rulers including Sultans of Oman.

According to Bank of Tanzania’s Monthly Economic Review for January 2014, during the 2013, exports of goods and services declined to $179.5 million from $197.4 million recorded in the preceding year following 18.2% decrease in services receipts. 

Nevertheless, value of goods exports increased by 16.9% from $51.5 million recorded in 2012, mainly on account of an increase in the volume of cloves exports, the Monthly Economic Review said.

In another development Zanzibar government is not going to yield to demands to liberalize clove industry in the Isles.

By Leonard Magomba, Monday, March 24th, 2014