(Ternate Island, 11th) Climate change poses a significant threat to Indonesia's clove production. Excessive or insufficient rainfall and high temperatures lead to unstable clove yields, impacting farmers' livelihoods.
Clove is an important spice, originally native to Indonesia's Maluku Islands. Clove buds can only emit the aroma and flavor needed for spice production within a specific temperature and humidity range.
Farmer Johar from Ternate Island in the Maluku Islands said that in good weather, his 150 clove trees could yield 30 kilograms of cloves in one production season. However, with increasingly frequent bad weather today, clove prices fluctuate dramatically between $5.30 and $7.40 per kilogram (approximately 22.72 to 31.61 ringgit), making farmers' lives increasingly difficult.
Johar said: “The current rainfall is very high. Planting is not a problem, but the harvest is uncertain.”
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's statistics over the past 20 years, Indonesia's clove production has varied greatly, with 2023 production nearly one-quarter less than the peak in 2010.
Johar said: “We are actually losing money. Cloves do not bear fruit every year, it depends on the season.”
With a sharp decline in clove production, many farmers have had to take up other jobs to earn a living. Johar sells clove drinks and bamboo on the side, and some farmers have even considered giving up clove cultivation entirely.
Johar said: “High costs and low returns mean farmers are now reluctant to harvest cloves.”
Besides Indonesia, cloves are also produced in Tanzania, Madagascar, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. According to FAO statistics, Indonesia accounts for more than two-thirds of the global clove production, but most of it is supplied to the domestic market. World Bank trade data shows that since 2020, Madagascar has surpassed Indonesia as the world's largest exporter of cloves.
Clove trees can take more than ten years to mature, and the clove flower harvesting period is very short, highly dependent on weather conditions. Climate change has led to droughts in Ternate Island, and when it rains, it is often torrential, damaging the clove buds.
Farmer Imba, who owns 70 clove trees, said that while it used to take three and a half days to dry cloves, now due to unstable and heavy rainfall, it takes at least five days.
Despite the challenges, Johar says he will continue growing cloves. He said: “Our parents planted cloves in the world's oldest clove-growing region. They... aimed to bring pride to future generations.”
Clove is an important spice, originally native to Indonesia's Maluku Islands. Clove buds can only emit the aroma and flavor needed for spice production within a specific temperature and humidity range.
Farmer Johar from Ternate Island in the Maluku Islands said that in good weather, his 150 clove trees could yield 30 kilograms of cloves in one production season. However, with increasingly frequent bad weather today, clove prices fluctuate dramatically between $5.30 and $7.40 per kilogram (approximately 22.72 to 31.61 ringgit), making farmers' lives increasingly difficult.
Johar said: “The current rainfall is very high. Planting is not a problem, but the harvest is uncertain.”
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's statistics over the past 20 years, Indonesia's clove production has varied greatly, with 2023 production nearly one-quarter less than the peak in 2010.
Johar said: “We are actually losing money. Cloves do not bear fruit every year, it depends on the season.”
With a sharp decline in clove production, many farmers have had to take up other jobs to earn a living. Johar sells clove drinks and bamboo on the side, and some farmers have even considered giving up clove cultivation entirely.
Johar said: “High costs and low returns mean farmers are now reluctant to harvest cloves.”
Besides Indonesia, cloves are also produced in Tanzania, Madagascar, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. According to FAO statistics, Indonesia accounts for more than two-thirds of the global clove production, but most of it is supplied to the domestic market. World Bank trade data shows that since 2020, Madagascar has surpassed Indonesia as the world's largest exporter of cloves.
Clove trees can take more than ten years to mature, and the clove flower harvesting period is very short, highly dependent on weather conditions. Climate change has led to droughts in Ternate Island, and when it rains, it is often torrential, damaging the clove buds.
Farmer Imba, who owns 70 clove trees, said that while it used to take three and a half days to dry cloves, now due to unstable and heavy rainfall, it takes at least five days.
Despite the challenges, Johar says he will continue growing cloves. He said: “Our parents planted cloves in the world's oldest clove-growing region. They... aimed to bring pride to future generations.”