A plant of the genus Vanilla of the family Orchidaceae (orchid family). Vines of hot, damp climates, most are indigenous to Central and South America, especially Mexico, but are now cultivated in other tropical regions. The fruits yield vanilla, a flavoring popular since pre-Columbian times, when the Aztecs used it in making chocolate. The commercial vanilla plant is usually V. planifolia or V. fragrans. Since its natural pollinating agents (certain bees and hummingbirds) are uniquely adapted for this function, commercial plants must be pollinated by hand. The source of the flavor is an aromatic essence, vanillin, which crystallizes on the outside of the seed pod after a series of curing and drying processes. Vanilla flavoring is also obtained from the tonka bean, although now it is most commonly manufactured by the cheaper process of artificially synthesizing vanillin, as from coal tar, clove oil, or lignin, a byproduct of paper manufacture. Vanilla is usually marketed as an alcoholic extract for use as food and tobacco flavoring and in perfumery. Vanilla is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliopsida, order Orchidales, family Orchidaceae

View photos: Vanilla species, V. planifolia & Vanilla beans

Vanilla planifolia (*the true vanilla ) (V. fragrans, old name) Vanilla planifolia, is indigenous to Mexico, where it is pollinated by tiny humming birds and a bee called Melipona . When it was transplanted to other parts of the world it did not produce beans until it was discovered that the small orchid blooms could be pollinated by hand.

The vines grow around trees and when the flowers fall, the bean stops growing, thus it is very important to keep the flower from falling. That is why in Mexico, it was grown under the jungle canopy to protect it from high winds and hurricanes common to the tropics. It is important not to over pollinate the vine because this will dry it out and kill it.

The Totonacas people of this region still grow vines with almost religious devotion because to them it was the gift of the gods. It is not uncommon to have a few vines growing around their houses, which they water every day as if their were their most valuable possession. Also they make with the beans all kinds of crafts such as frogs, baskets, little houses, etc. which people hang in the rearview mirror of their cars as an air purifier with a very artistic twist. In the linen closets of Veracruz, it is very common to find a few beans among the bedding sheets. Pillowcases from these closets have a fragrance that relaxes the senses and makes amorous hearts where there were none, just as the gods wanted.

The unmistakable scent of Vanilla with its exotic flavour is acknowledged world over for its culinary use. Vanilla essence is derived from Vanilla pods of the Vanilla plant. Vanilla planifolia of the Orchidaceae family is the most popularly used species. In India, Vanilla essence industry is based on synthetic essence and vanilla cultivation is limited to barely 1000 ha. However natural vanilla essence is quality wise much superior and preferred the world over by the consumer. The world demand for vanilla beans has already reached 2000 tonnes per annum and is likely to go up further.

Vanilla grows best under filtered sunlight. It flourished well in partial shade that cuts out about 50% sunlight. Since it is a climbing vine, it requires support for growing. Dead wood posts, few species of Erythrina, Plumeria alba and Glyricida are suitable standards for trailing vines. The crop is established by planting in situ shoot cuttings of 60-100cm length. After pollination, a full-length bean is attained in six weeks time, which in turn takes 6 to 10 months to reach full maturity. Under reasonable levels of management, Vanilla yields about 300-500 Kg cured beans per hectare.

With ever increasing demand for natural vanilla, there is immense export potential especially to U.S. Vanilla is successfully grow in Kerala, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tamilnadu and N.E Regions of India. The employment generation capacity & export potential of this crop should not be ignored.

A Climbing Orchid valued for its pleasant flavour. Second most expensive spice after Saffron and indigenous to south east Mexico in the humid tropical rain forests. The Source of natural vanillin is cured Beans.

VANILLA

Vanilla spp., family Orchidaceae Three species of Vanilla are of commercial importance: V. planifolia Andrews [ V. fragrans (Salisb.) Ames], V. pompona Schiede, and V. tahitensis J. W. Moore. The first is by far the most important (Childers et al. 1959). Vanilla is cultivated for its pods which, under processing, yield vanilla extract. In 1950, world production was 3 million pounds of extract, of which Madagascar produced more than half and Mexico about a fourth. The United States is the primary consumer of vanilla extract (Childers et al. 1959).

Plant:

Vanilla is a tropical, evergreen, leafy, and somewhat fleshy vine (fig. 189) that may climb to the top of trees, 50 to 75 feet, if unchecked. It has thick, oblong, 6- to 9-inch, dark-green leaves and forms roots opposite the leaves by which it clings to the tree. It is propagated vegetatively, pruned at the tip, and trained onto a trellis. The plants are usually set 6 feet apart in the row, the rows about 9 feet apart (Kanman and Plai 1966). The fruit is a beanlike pod, 4 to 6 inches long by about one-half inch thick (fig. 190). The better pods are 5 inches or more in length. A single pod contains thousands of seeds almost microscopic in size (l/3 to 1/4 mm).

A healthy vine should produce about 100 pods per year, which mature 8 to 9 months after flowering. If too many flowers are pollinated and too many pods set, the vine may be overloaded and will die.

Just before the plant flowers, the grower usually prunes 4 to 6 inches from the vine tip; this stops linear growth and seems to benefit flowering (Childers et al. 1 959).

Irvine and Delfel (1961) dispelled the former belief that plants will not flower unless they are climbing, by showing that inflorescences were produced satisfactorily on horizontal and even descending stems. Of 10 plants studied, one ascending stem had 82 inflorescences, one 60 feet tall and still climbing had only 18, and one descending vine had 29. This proved that maintenance of plants on trellises did not necessarily cause a decrease in yield.

Inflorescence:

The small lilylike, greenish-yellow vanilla flowers, 1 l/2 by 2 1/2 inches long (Woebse 1963), develop in axillary racemes (fig. 191). There may be as many as 100 flowers in a raceme but usually there are about 20. Usually, only one flower in a raceme opens in a day, with the entire flowering period of the raceme lasting an average of 24 days. Flowering for an average plant in Puerto Rico begins in January, reaches a peak in March, and ends in June. In the Philippines, flowering extends from March to June, with the largest percentage of the flowers appearing in April (David 1953).

The individual flower has three sepals and three petals, one of the petals being enlarged and modified to form the trumpetlike lip, and a central column comprised of the united stamen and pistil. The anther is at the apex of the column and hangs over the stigma, but a flap or rostellum separates them.

The flower opens in the morning and closes in the afternoon, never to re-open. If it is not pollinated, it will shed the next day. The optimum time for pollination is in midmorning (Childers et al. 1959). The pollen clings together in a mass and is feebly attractive to certain bees and hummingbirds (Cobley 1956*, DeVarigny 1894). The nectar source is seldom mentioned, although hummingbirds visit flowers primarily, if not exclusively, for nectar. Many species of the family Orchidaceae are noted for their nectar secretion (Darwin 1877*). Correll (1953) stated that the flowers are visited for the "honey" secreted at the base of the lip.

Pollination Requirements:

The vanilla flower is self-fertile, but incapable of self-pollination without the aid of an outside agency to either transfer the pollen from the anther to the stigma or to lift the flap or rostellum then press the anther against the stigma. The only time this can be accomplished is during the morning of the one day the flower is open. Unless pollination occurs, the flower drops from the vine the next day. Correll (1953) stated that insect pollinated flowers, being cross-pollinated, produce viable seed, but flowers that are hand pollinated, being self-pollinated, produce only sterile seeds.

Pollinators:

The reference occurs repeatedly in the literature that in its native Mexico the flowers of vanilla are pollinated by small bees of the genus Melipona and also by hummingbirds (Ridley 1912*). Childers and Cibes (1948) noted that this report has not been carefully checked and later Childers et al. (1959) said that there is no experimental proof that they are actually effective pollinators. Mention is made by Childers et al. (1959 p. 477), that "The first effort made toward solving the (pollination) problem was to introduce bees of the genus Melipona from Mexico, but they did not thrive. After this failure a mechanical means of pollination was tried." Then Albius, in 1841, discovered the practical method (Childers et al. 1959) of using a small splinter of wood or a grass stem to lift the rostellum or flap out of the way so that the overhanging anther can be pressed against the stigma to effect self-pollination.

Now, practically all vanilla is produced by hand pollination, which accounts for 40 percent of the total labor cost in vanilla production (Gregory et al. 1967).

No further study seems to have been made on the utilization of Melipona, or other insects, or hummingbirds. No attempt has been made to concentrate pollinating insects for this purpose. It would appear logical that if nectar is secreted, as indicated by Correll (1953), honey bee colonies could be amassed in the area when desired, and the workers could be "forced" to visit the flowers. The relative cost of a high concentration of honey bee colonies as compared to the cost of human labor, would make such exploitation of honey bees highly worthwhile investigating. The reference by DeVarigny (1894) that Cuban bees, whether indigenous or naturalized European bees, were pollinating vanilla in Cuba indicates that bees could be used satisfactorily.

Pollination Recommendations and Practices: There are no recommendations for the use of bees, bats, birds, or other agencies. The evidence indicates, however, that saturation pollination by honey bees or certain other bees offers possibilities because vanilla in Mexico was probably pollinated by bees at one time to some extent.

LITERATURE CITED:

CHILDERS, N. E., and CIBES, H. R. 1948.
VANILLA CULTURE IN PUERTO RICO. U.S. Dept. Agr. Cir. 28, 94 pp.
______CIBES. H. R., and HERNANDEZ-MEDINA, E. 1959.
VANILLA - THE ORCHID OF COMMERCE. In Whithner, C. L., The Orchids - A Scientific Survey, pp. 477-508. Ronald Press Co., New York.
CORRELL, D. S. 1953.
VANILLA. ITS BOTANY, HISTORY, CULTIVATION AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. Econ. Bot. 7(4): 291-358.
DAVID. P. A. 1953.
POLLINATION OF VANILLA FLOWERS BY HAND. Philippine Agr. 37: 301-305.
DEVARIGNY. C. 1894.
FERTILIZATION OF THE VANILLA FLOWER BY BEES. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 4: 555-556.
GREGORY. L. E., GASKINS, M. H., and COLBERG, C. 1967.
PARTHENOCARPIC POD DEVELOPMENT BY VANILLA PLANIFOLIA ANDREWS INDUCED WITH GROWTH-REGULATING CHEMICALS. Econ. Bot. 21: 351-357.
IRVINE, J. E., and DELFEL, N. E. 1961.
FLOWERING BEHAVIOR OF VANILLA. Nature 190(4773): 366.
KANMAN, K., and PILLAI, G. G. 1966.
VANILLA, A NEW VENTURE FOR KEROLA FARMERS. Indian Farm. 16(2): 4 - 7.
WOEBSE, A. 1963.
POLLINATING THE VANILLA FLOWER. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bul 32(12): 1009-1010.

World Market for Vanilla
RAP Market Information Bulletin No. 7

INTRODUCTION

Vanilla is the name given to a genus of orchids that grow in tropical climates and to the flavor extract obtained from the fruit pods or beans of several orchid species. The best and most important commercial extract is obtained from Vanilla fragrans, also known as Vanilla planifolia. Vanilla beans produced commercially are pollinated by hand with a wooden needle. Harvested before they are ripe, the golden-green beans are cured through alternating exposure to moist and dry heat, a process that produces the characteristic flavor and aroma. Curing continues for 10 to 20 days, after which the beans are bundled for drying and development of the full aroma. This curing and drying process requires four to six months. The resulting bean is wrinkled and chocolate colored.

The flavor and odor of the extract comes partially from a white crystal vanillin, which develops during the curing process. Vanilla beans, extracts, tinctures (alcoholic extracts), and resinoid (hydrocarbon solvent extracts) are the foremost food flavors for ice cream, puddings, cakes, chocolates, baked goods, syrups, candies, liqueurs, tobacco, and soft drinks. Vanilla tincture is also used in perfumes.

Tahitian vanilla, a reddish-brown vanilla bean derived from Vanilla tahitensis, is cultivated in the South Pacific and is used mostly in the perfume industry. Vanillon (West Indian or Guadeloupian vanilla), derived from Vanilla pompona, has a cherry like odor, from heliotropin. It is used to flavor tobacco, soaps, perfumes, medicines, and liqueurs and is sometimes blended with true vanilla.

Artificial vanilla extract, or vanillin, is produced from eugenol (derived from clove-stem oil) or acid hydrolysis of lignin (wood) and is used as a compound mixed with real vanilla.

PRODUCTION

No exact statistics on worldwide production of vanilla are available; most statistics provided by producing countries are based on estimation and contain assessment and reporting errors.

World production of cured vanilla beans averages between 2,000 and 2,400 metric tons (MTs) per year. Madagascar is the largest producer, with 1,000-1,200 MTs per year, followed by Indonesia, which has just expanded its production to 700-800 MTs from 400 MTs in the late 1980s. The third-largest producer is Comoros, with average production of 200 MTs per year. Smaller producers include Tonga (40 MTs), R‚union (20 MTs), French Polynesia (20 MTs), and Mexico (10 MTs).

Madagascar

Vanilla was first introduced to Madagascar in 1873. With favorable climatic conditions, production rapidly expanded, and now Madagascar is the world's largest producer. Production is located in the northeastern part of the island, where 55,000 farmers are involved in cultivation. Madagascar produces Bourbon type vanilla from Vanilla fragrans ("Bourbon type" refers to the conditions of growing and the technique of curing the vanilla pods), which is considered the world standard for quality. The production of vanilla beans in Madagascar fluctuates depending on weather. Production averages 1,000 MTs per year, with peak production of 2,164 MTs reported in 1987. In 1994, production was 974 MTs, down from 1,200 MTs the previous year (Table 1).

Indonesia

Indonesia produces Java vanilla (grown on the island of Java) and Bourbon-like vanilla (grown on the island of Bali). Both varieties are produced from Vanilla fragrans, but Java vanilla is of a lesser quality than the Bourbon type, whereas Bourbon-like vanilla is similar in quality to the original Bourbon type. In the last few years, the Indonesian government has been encouraging farmers to grow vanilla. The government also seeks to improve the aroma, flavor, strength, and character of pods produced. The curers and Indonesian research institutes are working with the British Natural Resources Institute to improve curing techniques, in particular the measuring of moisture content. As a result, the quality of Indonesian production is beginning to rival that of Madagascar. No formal statistics on production are available, but Indonesian production is estimated at 700-800 MTs per year, up from 400 MTs in the late 1980s and from 200 MTs in the mid-1970s. In 1960, production was estimated at only 100 MTs.

Comoros and Runion

Situated in the Indian Ocean close to Madagascar, Comoros and Runion also produce Bourbon type vanilla. Production in Comoros has remained around 200 MTs per year with periodic reductions caused by cyclones and other bad weather. Runion was once a more important producer of vanilla, but increases in growers' wages have reduced its production drastically, from 100 MTs in the 1960s and 1970s to 20 MTs in recent years.

Tonga

The Pacific island country of Tonga produces a small but consistent amount of vanilla beans. Production grew in the late 1980s and early 1990s and currently stands at 30-40 MTs per year. Tonga also grows the Vanilla fragrans, the same variety grown in the major Indian Ocean producing countries.

French Polynesia

The only producer of Vanilla tahitensis, French Polynesia (mainly Tahiti) ranked with Madagascar as a dominant producer prior to 1930. Production in French Polynesia, however, has fallen from 200 MTs in 1960 to 15-20 MTs in the last few years as Tahitian producers have turned to plantation-style crops such as coffee and sugar cane. A viral problem also may have contributed to the contraction of the Tahitian industry. In addition, the Tahitian species is regarded as producing a low-quality aroma. Vanilla tahitensis is used mostly in the perfume industry and therefore does not compete directly with Vanilla fragrans.

Mexico

Mexico, the original producer of Vanilla fragrans, no longer ranks as a significant producer. High wages have forced production down, and sales have dropped as a result of bad production practices. Mexican-made vanilla is frequently adulterated with extract from beans of the tonka tree (tonka beans do not meet the food safety requirements of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of the United States). Although Tonka bean extracts smell like vanilla, they contain coumarin banned as a food or food additive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1954, when it was found to damage the liver and other organs of laboratory animals.

Uganda

Although it does not yet export vanilla, Uganda is engaging in a high-intensity effort to start a vanilla industry. Vanilla production in Uganda, which ceased during the political upheaval of the 1970s, is on the rise again. Recent reports indicate that more than 10,000 farmers already grow the crop. One Ugandan processor, which produces two-thirds of the country's vanilla, uses rapid curing to cut curing time from six months to four days. The vanillin content of the rapid-cured vanilla is reportedly twice that of pods cured by the traditional Bourbon method.

EXPORTS

For each of the last five years, 1,600 to 1,800 MTs of vanilla beans entered world markets. Madagascar and Indonesia each accounted for 40 percent of that trade; Comoros 15 percent; and Tonga, R‚union, and the other producers the remainder. World exports of vanilla beans by the major producing countries rose from 515 MTs in 1980 to 1,756 MTs in 1992 (Table 2).

Madagascar, until recently, dominated the world market for vanilla, supplying 70 percent of world demand in the 1970s and 1980s (Table 3). Export volumes fell from 1,700 MTs in 1977 (72 percent of world supply) to only 485 MTs in 1993 (31 percent of world supply). In 1994, exports rebounded to 900 MTs.

From 1961 to 1987, Madagascar's nominal export revenues increased continuously, from US$8 million in 1961 to an all-time high of US$89 million in 1987. Export revenues fell to US$41 million in 1988 and to US$34 million in 1993 (Table 2). For 1994 a slight recovery is expected, and export revenues may approach US$50-60 million.

The Government of Madagascar decided in 1995 to liberalize the vanilla sector. The government phased out official export prices, allowing the price of vanilla to be determined by market forces. In May the government also set a fixed tax of US$21 on each kilogram exported, instead of charging the 80 percent export tax in effect from 1989 to 1994. New York brokers reported an early June 1995 trading price of US$35 per kilogram for vanilla from Madagascar. This price was down from the official export price of US$74 per kilogram applied from 1989 to 1993, and from the US$50-60 per kilogram price applied in 1994.

Indonesian exports jumped from 77 MTs, with a freight on board (FOB) value of US$1.3 million in 1980, to 720 MTs (US$21 million) in 1993. Indonesia was the world's largest exporter of vanilla in 1989 and again from 1991 to 1993, with a world market share of as high as 46 percent (1993). In the United States, where 80 percent of Indonesian exports are sent, import unit value over the last several years has ranged in cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) terms from US$30 to US$35 per kilogram, half the CIF value of Malagasy product.

Exports from Comoros have been rising in recent years. In 1993, they reached 285 MTs, equivalent to 18 percent of the world supply and US$1.9 million FOB. This value is up from 236 MTs (US$1.3 million) in 1992 and 238 MTs (US$1 million) in 1991. Generally the export price applied in Comoros is the same as that applied in Madagascar. These two producers, together with R‚union, comprised the Vanilla Alliance, a cartel to handle marketing arrangements on the world market. Although the cartel broke up, both Comoros and Madagascar continue to follow the same price policy.

Other world exporters are smaller players. In the early 1960s, French Polynesia exported 180-190 MTs per year. In 1967, exports dropped to 59 MTs, and in 1975 they were only 8 MTs, about the same level as in 1993 (9 MTs, US$463,000). Mexican exports have fallen from 103 MTs in 1961 to just 7 MTs in 1993. In 1994, R‚union's exports were 13 MTs (US$588,000 FOB), down from 28 MTs (US$1,884,000) in 1993. Tongan exports have been increasing, from 14 MTs (US$ 853,000 FOB) in 1987 to 36 MTs (US$2 million) in 1993, although prospects for increased production and exports are limited.

MARKETS

Vanilla is the second-most expensive spice (after saffron) and the spice most subject to competition from imperfect substitutes (low-cost artificial flavorings). The aggregate global demand for real vanilla is estimated at 2,000 MTs per year, primarily for high-quality vanilla flavoring. Between 1965 and 1989, world consumption grew at an average annual rate of 2 percent. Between 1980 and 1989, demand expanded rapidly particularly in the United States, where it grew at 7 percent a year in volume. In Europe, the rate of consumption was more modest: 2-3 percent. Highest consumption per capita is found in Denmark (4.57 grams), the United States (3.85 grams), France (2.54 grams), and Canada (1.00 grams).

Synthetic vanillin accounts for more than 90 percent of the U.S. vanilla flavoring market and about 50 percent of the French market (the lowest national share). One ounce of artificially produced vanillin has roughly the same flavoring power as a gallon of natural vanilla extract. Synthetic vanillin costs one-hundredth the price of the natural product and not only substitutes for vanilla but also supplements adulterated vanilla extracts. Despite the strong competition from synthetic vanilla, a number of factors have strengthened the demand for vanilla beans during the past decade: increased health awareness and preference for natural products; escalating consumer demand for processed foods, which use new flavors and spices; and an explosion in popularity of gourmet ice creams, which tend to use pure natural flavors exclusively. In major markets the United States and Europe vanilla is the only spice that benefits from a Standard of Identity, which helps shield vanilla beans from competition from substitutes.

From 1991 to 1993, the United States, France, and Germany accounted for 80 percent of world imports of vanilla beans, the United States absorbing 50-60 percent, and France and Germany between 10 and 15 percent each (Table 4). These three countries were also major re-exporters of both vanilla beans and processed vanilla products. Germany consumed only 30-40 percent of its imported beans, and its re-exports were by far the most significant, reaching approximately 180-250 MTs per year in the early 1990s. France's annual re-exports were 30-50 percent of imports (70-120 MTs), and U.S. re-exports were 60-80 MTs annually (4-6 percent of imports).

United States

U.S. imports of vanilla beans fell slightly in 1994 to 1,245 MTs (CIF US$61.9 million), down from 1,332 MTs in 1993 (US$63.5 million) and from 1,262 MTs (US$65.7 million) in 1992 (Table 5).

From the 1960s through the 1980s, Madagascar was the largest supplier of vanilla beans to the United States. Indonesia occupied first place from 1989 to 1993, supplying 47-50 percent of all U.S. imports. Then, in 1994, Madagascar again became the largest supplier with an import share of 45 percent (556 MTs), while Indonesia's import share fell to 42 percent (528 MTs). Import prices of vanilla beans from Madagascar to the United States increased from US$10 per kilogram in 1970 to US$55 per kilogram in 1980, and to US$74 per kilogram from 1990 to 1993. Prices fell to only US$35 per kilogram in June 1995. For the last two years, import prices of the Bourbon-like vanilla from Indonesia were US$30-35 per kilogram; prices for Java vanilla were lower.

More than 95 percent of the vanilla beans consumed in the United States are processed into extracts sold to flavor manufacturers or to the retail trade. Most U.S. purchases are therefore of lower-grade beans, because quality and general appearance are less critical for extraction purposes. Forty-four percent of all vanilla extracts are used in the production of ice cream. Other major industrial users of vanilla extracts and flavors are the confectionery, baking, and beverage industries. From 1990 to 1993, U.S. re-exports amounted to 60-80 MTs annually, mostly to Canada. Synthetic vanilla production in the United States increased by 135 percent between 1984 and 1988.

Canada

Canada is a smaller market than the United States for vanilla beans. From 1991 to 1992, Canadian imports jumped from 56 MTs to 132 MTs, and in 1993 they reached 188 MTs (US$11 million CIF). Imports remained relatively stable in 1994 (187 MTs, US$9.7 million CIF). In 1994, Madagascar supplied 126 MTs (67 percent of total imports), and Indonesia supplied 23 MTs (12 percent). Other suppliers were France (13 MTs, 7 percent), the United States (11 MTs, 6 percent), and Comoros (8 MTs, 4 percent). As in the United States, nearly all the beans are used for extraction purposes.

France

From 1987 to 1993, France imported between 220 and 260 MTs of vanilla beans per year. As seen in Table 6, imports in 1993 were 248 MTs (CIF value US$14.5 million), and in 1994 they jumped to 324 MTs (CIF value US$18.9 million). In 1994 Madagascar supplied 184 MTs (57 percent), other European Union (EU) countries 72 MTs (22 percent), Comoros 36 MTs (11 percent), and Indonesia 15 MTs (5 percent). Because French extract regulations mandate a high vanillin content, the French market favors high-quality vanilla beans. Twenty percent of imported vanilla beans are consumed directly by consumers, one of the highest rates for major world markets. Re-exports of vanilla beans are usually 30-40 percent of imports. However, in 1993 re-exports reached 52 percent.

Germany

German imports of vanilla beans have shown consistent growth since 1985, with 1994 imports registering 346 MTs (Table 7). In 1994 Madagascar supplied 215 MTs (51 percent), other EU countries 35 MTs (10 percent), Comoros 19 MTs (5 percent), and Indonesia 13 MTs (4 percent). German re-exports, too, are on the rise. Most re-exports are intended for other European countries, but many also are sent to the United States, Canada, and Japan. As in France, high-quality vanilla beans are preferred.

Japan

In 1994, Japanese imports of vanilla beans reached their highest level ever (82 MTs, CIF value of US$5.4 million). This is up from 45 MTs (US$3.4 million) in 1993, and 72 MTs (US$10.6 million) in 1992 (Table 10). In 1994, Madagascar supplied 66 MTs (80 percent of total imports), and Indonesia 12 MTs (15 percent). The remainder came from Comoros (2 percent), Germany (1 percent), and other countries. No Japanese re-exports were reported.

Switzerland

During the past 10 years, Switzerland's imports of vanilla beans have been between 32 and 57 MTs, averaging 46 MTs per year. In 1994, imports were 43 MTs (CIF value US$2.9 million), up from 38 MTs (US$2.7 million) in 1993, but down from 51 MTs (US$3.5 million) in 1992. In 1994, Switzerland's major suppliers were Germany 17 MTs (40 percent of total imports), Madagascar 15 MTs (35 percent), and France 10 MTs (23 percent).

United Kingdom In 1994, U.K. imports reached 50 MTs (CIF value US$1.6 million), their highest level ever. In previous years, U.K. imports of vanilla beans were between 32 MTs (1990) and 13 MTs (1993). Of the 50 MTs imported in 1994, the major suppliers were France (21 MTs) and Germany (19 MTs). The United States accounted for 4 MTs, and Indonesia 1 MT. No imports from Madagascar were reported.

Minor Importers The Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia import between 20 and 50 MTs each, and Botswana, Australia, and other EU countries between 10 and 20 MTs each (Table 8).

EXPORTS GRADES AND STANDARDS

Grading standards differ among producing countries and are relatively complex. Classifications are based on bean length; aroma; color; moisture content; consistency; and freedom from blemishes, insect infestation, and mildew. Bourbon vanilla is classified by Madagascar into five main grades of whole and split beans 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and an additional grade for all other beans.