Tanzania: Zanzibar Rules Out Smuggling of Cloves

By Masato Masato

ZANZIBAR ruled out any smuggling of cloves, saying the Revolutionary Government was offering prices that didn't exist anywhere in the world.

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries Hassan Khamis Hafidh told the

House of Representatives that the 14,000/- that one kilogramme of cloves fetched had improved farmers' standard of lives and inspired more to engage in crop growing.

He said Zanzibar State Trading Corporation (ZSTC) had already installed state-of-the art machines at its clove bud processing factory in Pemba, adding that the bud price had increased from 1,000/- to 1,500/- per kilogramme.

"At Wawi clove bud factory, ZSTC has installed modern machines that cannot be found anywhere in East Africa," Mr Hafidh told the House in response to a supplementary question by Omar Seif Abeid (Konde) over indiscriminate buying of clove buds.

Responding to the main question by Konde Representative, the deputy minister said the government had this year budgeted 65m/- to intensify clove protection, hinting that 50m/- of the amount had already been released.

However, in his supplementary question termed the 65m/- budget as wastage if indeed there was no clove smuggling in the Isles.

But, the deputy minister explained, saying the government, through its trading arm ZSTC, had been disseminating public awareness-through radio and television programmes as well as annual clove stakeholders' meetings-on the side effects of dirtying cloves with buds.

"Unfortunately, it seems there is still defiant people who don't want to heed the government's directives, despite of all the education provided. The government will take tough measures against them, as per the laws," charged the deputy minister.