ZANZIBAR: THE Zanzibar Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) is expected to benefit from funds provided by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) to support research in various institutions in the country.
ZARI Director Dr Mohammed Dhamir Kombo said that the commission has received a total of 70m/- to support research work to be conducted by various higher learning institutions, including the Zanzibar Agricultural Research Institute.
Dr Kombo explained that ZARI has planned to assess the challenges facing cloves, and the Zanzibar government, through its Zanzibar Planning Commission, has allocated an additional 30m/- to support a thorough study or assessment of why clove production has dropped.
"ZARI will use these funds to investigate and analyse the reasons that have led to the decline in clove production," said Dr Kombo, adding that the study will begin soon and will examine the indicators and challenges of the decline in clove production.
ZARI will also provide the best methods to overcome these challenges and increase production, enhance the value of the crop, and improve productivity for farmers and the nation as a whole.
Dr Kombo informed that previously, clove production was more than 30,000 tonnes, but it has been declining since the mid-1990s. In 2022, the production was only 8,736 tonnes.
Since 2010, the government has implemented various measures, including distributing seedlings free of charge to farmers and raising the buying price from 5,000/- to 14,000/-.
COSTECH Director General Dr Amos Nungu said that the commission has been soliciting funds from various stakeholders to support research conducted in the country in order to compete in the market.
He also informed that the research on clove production is urgent after the Zanzibar Planning Commission evaluated it and found a decline annually despite the government's interventions.
Dr Nungu further explained that four higher learning institutions have won research funds through a competitive proposal.
He said that the commission received 250,000 US dollars from development partners, and the funds will support research at Sokoine Agricultural College (SUA), the University of Dodoma (UDOM), the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in Kibaha, and the Research Institute of Marine Life in Tanzania (TAFIRI).
