Sea Cucumbers next Zanzibar economic booster

Communities residing on islands and in close proximity to the sea harbor immense potential for harnessing the richness of various marine products. However, realizing these opportunities can be challenging, and some may take time to materialize, much like the journey of Sea Cucumber cultivation in Zanzibar. Now that this valuable and nutritious aquaculture product has made its mark in the cloves dependent archipelago, there is no turning back.

Zanzibar, known for its maritime heritage, is strategically positioning itself to capitalize on the international trade of Sea Cucumbers, offering promising initial annual earnings of 4.5 billion bn/- and benefiting over 100 farmers across Unguja and Pemba. With its steadfast commitment to advancing a blue economy agenda, the Zanzibar Government is injecting over 400 million dollars into Sea Cucumber farming, aiming to revitalize the economy post-Covid-19 pandemic by supporting farmers engaged in this lucrative venture involving precious sea animals.

With nine months of incubation before being harvested, this species of sea cucumber is one of the most highly valued tropical sea cucumbers in the world. The main driving force beyond the Sea Cucumber fishery and aquaculture in Zanzibar is that there’s a growing consumer market, especially in China and far eastern countries.

In Zanzibar, Sea Cucumbers are also regarded as playing a vital role in the maintenance of marine ecosystem health and in the generation of foreign exchange income and earnings as exports exorbitantly rise.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of the Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dr. Aboud Suleiman Jumbe said Zanzibar has positioned herself to export Sea Cucumbers as major sizeable producer, and the government is keen to invest in it, supporting farmers both financially and technically as the Sea Cucumbers become a lucrative business.

“Zanzibar enjoys a segment of the market by exporting bulk tones of Sea Cucumbers to the world market,” Dr. Aboud said, ensuring that Zanzibar is strategically positioned to utilize the current demand for Sea Cucumbers globally, which is 35,000 tones worth 10 billion US dollars.

 Dr. Aboud added that the entire effort is fueling a boom in the local economy that has reshaped and improved the economy of the people, particularly those living along the coastlines. Under a strategic program to support small-scale fisheries through training, financing, and marketing. Zanzibar aims to boost fishing, which includes developing as part of aquaculture.

He said people engaged in Sea Cucumbers along the coast of Zanzibar and its dotted inlands are now able to learn more about a lucrative coastal resource: sandfish (a type of what is more commonly known as Sea Cucumbers), adding that the entire effort is fueling a boom in the local economy that has reshaped the Zanzibar coast under the blue economy agenda.

The Sandfish –Holothuria Scabra– is a tropical species of Sea Cucumber that is found along coastlines stretching from East Africa, particularly Zanzibar, a place where they have practiced farming Sea Cucumbers for a long time, commercially. It was once an incredibly abundant species, found in densities of tons per acre, and formed the basis of many coastal fishermen livelihoods. This species is also one of the most highly valued tropical Sea Cucumbers in the world.

Driven by insatiable demand, particularly in East Asia, where they are considered a delicacy and have been found to have medicinal value as a bioactive immune booster, Sandfish have been overfished across most of their global range, almost facing extinction.

Subsequently, the authorities have turned to aquaculture, with some of the animals raised in sedentary conditions in pens or ponds near the shoreline, while others are raised in the sea in something approximating their natural habitat. Those are considered free-range.

In Zanzibar, Sea Cucumbers have been highly prized for centuries for their nutritional value and texture, if not their flavor. They are believed to have medicinal properties, treating ailments from arthritis to impotency.

After realizing its potential, Zanzibar has introduced, or rather, embarked seriously on, tapping into and realizing the opportunities in Sea Cucumbers. In 2011, Sea Cucumber farming was introduced, and it is now considered one of the most promising aquaculture export products in Zanzibar. There are 1700 species of Sea Cucumbers worldwide, but only 70 are recognized for commercial farming and use.

At the beginning, outgrowth farming was still dependent on wild-caught juveniles and therefore unsustainable. In response to this, a sea cucumber hatchery has been established as part of Zanzibar’s marine culture development program, which is run by the government of Zanzibar in cooperation with international organizations.

The main purpose of the hatcheries is to provide juvenile production for Sea Cucumber farming as well as for restocking purposes.

Stakeholders and other interested partners are actively supporting farmers; a good example was demonstrated by Mwambao Coastal Community (MCC), an NGO that supports fishermen and farmers of Sea Cucumbers, from hatchery to larvae rearing.

The MCC explores several areas where Sea Cucumbers are flourishing. “We, divers, are riding out to the spot near the Chukwani area where Sea Cucumbers are extensively farmed, where they will harvest wild Sea Cucumbers from the ocean floor in the next season, which is expected to be a bumper harvest. In some areas, farmers of Sea Cucumbers and divers ride out to the spot near where they will harvest wild sea cucumbers from the ocean floor,” MCC spokesperson Said Khalid was quoted. The market value in Zanzibar he confirmed was worth 4. 5 shillings

While Zanzibar’s Sea Cucumber production stood at 15,000 tons before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, global demand soared to 50,000 tons, valued at approximately 10 billion dollars, as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The global production of Sea Cucumbers in 2020 reached 245,000 tons, with the majority consumed in China, where it is known as “bêche-de-mer” and prepared dried, gutted, boiled, and salted. Additionally, countries such as Japan, North Korea, and South Korea also have significant consumption of this product in homes and restaurants.

Scientifically categorized as echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea, Sea Cucumbers are marine animals characterized by their leathery skin and elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Beyond their economic value, Sea Cucumbers play a vital role in the ecosystem, feeding off rocks and sand and contributing to water purification. Their preservation is crucial to maintaining the balance of the marine food chain.

With Sea Cucumbers commanding premium prices—up to almost $1,000 per kilogram for dried varieties—the introduction of this new product holds immense economic potential for Zanzibar. As a region historically reliant on cloves and supported by tourism, the emergence of Sea Cucumber cultivation promises to diversify and strengthen Zanzibar’s economy. The positive impact of this venture is anticipated to be felt swiftly, positioning Zanzibar as an economic hub in the region.

Ally Sultan