Zanzibar Experienced Lower Export Earnings Due to Drop in Cloves Production for 2022 Season

Zanzibar’s foreign earnings dropped by more than 60% after price fluctuations and climate changes affected the production and trading of cloves, key cash crops on the Island. The clove export value decreased 62.3% YoY to USD 14.94M in September 2022 from USD 39.62M in 2021. The slowdown in earnings resulted in the shrinking volume of the crop to 1,800MT in 2022 from the 5,300MT exported in 2021.

The clove price fluctuated during 2022, reaching USD 10,963.3/MT in June 2022 before dropping to USD 8,184.2/MT in September 2022. The clove price was influenced by global markets and competitiveness from other producing countries like Madagascar. Zanzibar’s primary export destination for its spices is Asia, with a particular focus on India.