Indonesia’s cloves under threat

Colonial powers once sought to wipe out cloves grown by locals on the eastern Indonesian island of Ternate to safeguard their monopoly over the prized crop. Today farmers say the gravest threat to their plants is climate change.

- JACK MOORE

“Today... rainfall is high. It’s okay for planting, but it’s uncertain for harvesting. It’s often unpredictable,” farmer Jauhar Mahmud, 61, told AFP.

Nestled on the fertile foothills of Indonesia’s Mount Gamalama volcano, Mr Jauhar proudly shows off his favourite clove tree, which once reliably delivered profitable produce.

The fragrant flower buds that form the spice can only deliver their prized smell and taste in specific temperature and humidity ranges.

In a good season, the best of Mr Jauhar's 150 towering trunks can spurt 30 kilogrammes of the aromatic spice used for medicine, perfumes, cigarettes and food flavourings.

But bad weather is becoming more frequent, causing uncertainty that makes prices fluctuate from $5.30 to $7.40 per kilogram and life increasingly tough for farmers.

Food and Agriculture Organisation data from the past two decades shows Indonesia's clove yields vary significantly, more than rival producers. The yield in 2023, the last year data is available, was almost a quarter lower than a 2010 peak.

“We're actually losing money. Cloves do not bear fruit every year. They depend on the season,” said Mr Jauhar, who represents 36 clove farmers on the island.

Many are taking on other jobs as yields that typically arrive in August and September dwindle.

Mr Jauhar sells spice-infused drinks and bamboo on the side to make ends meet, and some are considering abandoning the crop altogether.