Comoros moves to revive its clove sector
The country starts talks to fix its struggling clove industry as earnings continue to fall.
COMOROS – The Union of the Comoros opened a national conference on the clove sector on November 17 in Anjouan.
The meeting runs for two days and brings together producers, exporters, government officials and technical partners. They want to address the sharp drop in export earnings and agree on steps that can help the sector recover.
The Ministry of Agriculture shared a statement on its website. It said that officials and industry players spent time on quality standards, product certification and ways to shape the sector so it can operate better. They also discussed how to raise the global profile of Comorian cloves.
The Ministry wrote that “the exchanges focus mainly on improving the quality of local production, the certification of products and the structuring of the sector or strategies to increase the international visibility of Comorian cloves.”
Cloves account for close to 90 percent of the country’s agricultural exports. Recent figures from the Central Bank show how hard the sector has struggled. Export revenues fell by 53 percent in two years.
They dropped from 17.1 billion Comorian francs (about US$40.2 million) in 2022 to 8.2 billion Comorian francs (about US$19.3 million) in 2024. Industry players worry that the country could lose more ground if nothing changes.
Producers raise concerns about taxation and competition
Farmers and exporters point to several problems that cut into earnings. They mention double taxation on export revenues, unfair competition from foreign investors, heavy port charges, high taxes and expensive sea freight.
These costs come at a time when global prices for cloves also sit much lower. The combination has reduced both export volumes and income.
One producer at the event said that “many farmers now wonder if they can keep going with the current costs and low prices.” Others noted that the country needs a clear plan that gives small producers a fair chance.
Officials want the conference to shape a national strategy that supports the revival of the sector. They aim to fix weak points in governance and strengthen oversight. The government followed a similar route last October when it introduced new measures for the vanilla sector.
Recent steps by the Ministry show that the country now treats the clove sector as a priority. The Ministry said that it wants reforms that improve trust between producers and exporters. It also wants better tracking of quality and more transparent trade rules.
An official said that “the challenge of this conference will be to lay the foundations of a national strategy for the revival of the sector and to initiate new reforms to improve the governance of the sector.”
Industry players hope that these talks give the country fresh direction. Comoros stands among the top three global exporters of cloves. Many producers believe that the sector can recover if all sides commit to these reforms.
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