Zanzibar House of Reps endorses new Clove Bill

ZANZIBAR House of Representatives has endorsed a new Cloves Act Bill which stipulates that cutting down or burning a clove tree would be an offence.

The bill says that clove farmers and other people in the Islands should know that they are not allowed to make charcoal or other uses from clove trees.

Any person who commits such an offence, upon conviction shall be liable to a fine of not less than five million shillings or five years in jail or both punishments, the proposed law says.

The bill that is intended to repeal and replace the cloves Act No. 11 of 1985 and to provide for the establishment of the Clove Development Fund (CDF) and other matters related intends to safeguard the Zanzibar’s leading cash crop.

Tabling the Bill for discussion before the legislators approved it on Saturday, Minister for Trade, Industries and Marketing, Mr Nassor Ahmed Mazrui said that Zanzibar has taken a keen interest and has put strong emphasis in the vitalisation of the clove market.

To achieve the government’s commitment in the clove industry, said the minister, some changes should be made in terms of legislations, branding and marketing of the clove industry. 

He further said that CDF has been taken into account in promotion and improvement of cloves cultivation, plantation and production.

 The Bill says that every clove farmer, owner, lessee, seller or actors along the cloves value chain shall be required to register by the fund and the Fund shall support relevant authority to approve varieties of cloves to be planted in Zanzibar. 

Since 2010, Zanzibar has decided not to privatize cloves cultivation as demanded by some business people and farmers and instead has vowed to revive the crop targeting to double the production and regain its 1960s status of being the leading exporter of quality cloves. 

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