Cloves (Indonesia, Madagascar, Zanzibar)

Hand-picked and FAQ cloves by origin, oil and headless count

Cloves (HS 0907) are a concentrated origin trade. UN Comtrade 2024 put world exports at about USD 0.59 billion, with Indonesia at 54.7% of value and Madagascar at 27.4%; Indonesia declared 51,983 MT at USD 6,251/MT and Madagascar 27,878 MT at USD 5,848. Indonesia grows most of the world crop but its kretek cigarette industry absorbs most of it, which leaves Madagascar and Tanzania carrying a large share of the export trade, and Madagascar's crop was reported down sharply after cyclone damage in the 2024–25 season. In Zanzibar the Zanzibar State Trading Corporation (ZSTC) is the sole buyer and exporter of the islands' cloves, so Zanzibar and Pemba material is bought through its sales rather than from farm collectors. ISO 2254 sorts cloves into hand-picked superior grades (CG1), clean quality (CG2) and standard quality (CG3). A hand-picked Madagascar CG1 lot is typically offered at moisture under 10%, stems under 1%, baby cloves under 2% and headless under 1%; Indonesian Lal Pari is the premium reddish-brown hand-sorted grade, offered at around 14% moisture with headless cloves at 10–20%; FAQ (fair average quality) runs 14–15% moisture with more stems and dust.

The commercial variables are moisture, volatile oil, stems, headless cloves and foreign matter, so contract all five by number rather than by grade name. EU entry runs against Regulation (EC) 396/2005 pesticide MRLs and the EU lead limit for bud spices of 1.0 mg/kg; ethylene oxide is not authorised in the EU, so EU lots move with an ETO-free statement, and US lots meet EPA tolerances under 40 CFR 180 and FDA entry, where Import Alert 99-19 covers Salmonella in spices. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers cloves to spice grinders and retail packers, seasoning and meat-processing houses, clove oil distillers and cigarette and tobacco buyers, against a certificate of analysis, phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin, in 25–50 kg jute or PP bags, container-load, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms. Price moves with the Madagascar and Zanzibar crops and is set per lot on origin, grade and oil; send moisture, headless and oil limits with your RFQ.

Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.