Cloves under threat: a popular spice may disappear due to climate change

Climate change threatens the world’s clove tree plantations. Farmers in Indonesia, the world leader in clove exports, are sounding the alarm.

Once upon a time, the colonial powers sought to destroy cloves grown by locals on the Indonesian island of Ternate to maintain their monopoly. Today, farmers say global warming is the most serious threat to the clove tree. “There is too much precipitation: it is good for planting but not for harvesting. It’s often unpredictable,” said one of the farmers.

In a good season, 30 kg of aromatic spices can be harvested from the best of the 150 tall trees on the island of Ternate. These spices are used in medicine, perfumes, cigarettes, and food seasonings. But bad weather is happening more and more often, leading to uncertainty. This causes prices per kilogram of cloves to jump sharply, making farmers’ lives more difficult and unstable.

The clove yield in 2023 was almost a quarter lower than in 2010. “We are losing money. Carnations do not bear fruit every year; it depends on the season,” says a representative of 36 farmers growing carnations on the island. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. Many farmers are moving to other jobs as yields decrease in August and September, and profits are nearly minimal.

Scientific studies confirm farmers’ observations. In 2023, researchers from the Indonesian University of Pattimura found that the yield of cloves on the island of Haruku was decreasing. In recent decades, precipitation in the region has increased by 15%, along with extreme weather events that harm crops. Because of this, farmers growing cloves and nutmeg are experiencing severe difficulties.