INTRODUCTION
Vanilla is a tropical orchid, cultivated for its pleasant flavor, which is one of the
costliest spices in the international market. Though more than 50 species of
vanilla exist, only three are important as sources of vanillin. Vanilla planifolia
Andrews is the most preferred commercially and therefore, cultivated widely.
The Indian farmers started vanilla cultivation in the mid- to late 1990s, prompted, mainly by the
falling profits from rubber and coffee. Besides, vanilla could be grown even on small plots of
land and the initial investment required is small. Today, India stands sixth among the world's
eight vanilla-exporting nations, up from eighth in 1998. In 1998, India contributed just 0.034
percent of world vanilla exports. Indian exports of vanilla multiplied rapidly thereafter and by
2002, it accounted for 1.86 percent of world vanilla exports. Between 1998 and 2002, India's
vanilla exports registered a phenomenal annual average growth rate of 139.68 percent. In 1997,
a kilogram of green vanilla beans earned US $3. During 2003, The Indian traders were paying
more than $70 for a kilogram of vanilla beans.
