Africa’s clove market is still firmly controlled by four countries, even as Nigeria prepares to enter the sector.
Last week, Nigeria’s clove industry reaffirmed its ambition to become one of Africa’s leading producers, announcing plans to launch its first large-scale clove cultivation campaign in 2026.
While that expansion is still in its early stages following the announcement in Abuja, Madagascar, Tanzania, the Union of the Comoros, and Kenya currently dominate clove production and exports across the continent, Ecofin Agency reported.
Madagascar is by far Africa’s largest clove producer, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the continent’s annual output.
Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) show that the country produced an average of 24,419 tons of cloves per year between 2020 and 2024.
Clove farming spans more than 70,000 hectares and involves over 18,000 farmers, mainly concentrated in the Analanjirofo region.
Additional production comes from southeastern areas stretching from Mananjary to Taolagnaro, as well as from the Sava and Diana regions.
Cloves are Madagascar’s second-largest agricultural export after vanilla, and FAO data indicate that clove exports generated average annual revenues of $178.3 million between 2020 and 2024.
Tanzania ranks as Africa’s second-largest clove producer, with FAO estimates showing average annual production of 8,580 tons over the 2020–2024 period.
Clove cultivation covers more than 7,000 hectares, with most output concentrated in the Zanzibar archipelago, particularly on the islands of Unguja and Pemba.
Cloves are among Tanzania’s traditional agricultural export commodities, alongside cashew nuts, sisal, tea, cotton, and tobacco.
According to FAO data, clove exports generated average annual revenues of $30.6 million during the same period.
Don’t Miss This:
Tanzania To Partially Sell $1.3 Billion Gold Reserves To Fund Infrastructure Amid Global Aid Cuts
The Union of the Comoros produced an average of 7,308 tons of cloves per year between 2020 and 2024, based on FAO data.
Clove cultivation in the country spans more than 30,000 hectares and is mainly concentrated on the islands of Anjouan and Mohéli, which benefit from favorable climatic conditions.
The Comoros stands out as the only country among the four where cloves represent the most important agricultural value chain.
Cloves are the country’s main agricultural export, accounting for nearly 60 percent of annual agricultural export revenues, leaving the economy highly exposed to fluctuations in global clove prices.
Central bank data show that clove exports generated average annual revenues of $22.4 million between 2020 and 2024.
Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, produced an average of 2,141 tons of cloves per year between 2020 and 2024.
Clove farming covers more than 2,000 hectares and is concentrated in coastal counties, including Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, and Lamu.
Unlike the other countries, Kenya has not yet developed a structured clove value chain or a strong export presence, with most of its production consumed domestically.
FAO data show that Kenya generated only about $108,000 in average annual revenues from clove production between 2020 and 2024.
Don’t Miss This:
Kenya Launches $825 Million Kenya Pipeline IPO To Boost Domestic Funding
Image Credit: AgriFarming
