VANILLA

Area, production and productivity

The top producer of natural vanilla in the world is Madagascar followed by Indonesia, Comoros, Uganda and India. The total area under vanilla in India is around 2545 ha. Karnataka occupies the largest area of vanilla cultivation in India with 1465 ha followed by Kerala (812 ha) and Tamil Nadu (268 ha). The total Indian production, during 2007-08 season, is estimated at 150 tonne of dried beans.

World production of vanilla was to the order of 5,400 MT. The Indian production is quite marginal now going by the global standards. The cultivation is mostly spread over Karnataka and Kerala and to a lesser extent in Tamil Nadu. While most of the vanilla farms in Karnataka are big, the farmers in Kerala grow it in small plots. The area had once increased to around 3,000 hectare and the production edged towards 2000 tonne in 2004-05, however due to slump in prices the acerage of vanilla has come down drastically in the country.

Last updated: 27-05-2008