Vanilla farmers battling thieves as prices soar above silver

Vanilla is a variety of orchid and one of the most popular and expensive spices in the world. Due to the high prices that these fragrant pods can reach, farmers are often exposed to theft.

Vanilla is a genus that includes over 100 species, but only one is cultivated for spice production—the flat-leaved vanilla. This vine can grow up to 50 feet in length. It grows as an epiphyte, similar to the popular Phalaenopsis orchids in many homes. Cultivating vanilla is highly demanding, and the high prices necessitate that farmers arm themselves against thieves.

Vanilla originates from the tropical forests of South and Central America. Today, it is also cultivated in other parts of the world, with Madagascar being the largest producer. This is where the well-known Bourbon vanilla originates from. The vanilla orchid has attractive, fairly large leaves with an intense, bright colour. The most beautiful part of the vanilla plant is its large, fragrant flowers with a waxy sheen. The fruits are commonly known as vanilla pods.

Vanilla fruits are harvested when fully ripe. They are dark green at that stage and do not yet emit their characteristic aroma. Their intense, sweet scent results from a unique process involving alternating "sweating" and drying of the pods.

This process takes about six months and is completed when the pods turn black and a whitish coating appears on their husks. This coating is naturally occurring vanillin, which, along with two others, is responsible for the characteristic smell of vanilla. The more vanillin present in the pods, the higher the quality of the vanilla. However, it is worth noting that the compound available in shops or most sweets with this flavour is obtained artificially.

Cultivating vanilla is labour-intensive. Each flower has to be pollinated by hand (the pods are also collected manually), and these flowers bloom only for one day a year. The plant requires constant weeding and numerous agronomic treatments. Vanilla blooms every 2-3 years, meaning the fruit does not appear every season, affecting its price.

– In 2018, vanilla cost nearly 450 pounds per pound, making it more expensive than silver. Since then, the price has dropped to 190 pounds per pound, but it's still substantial – we learn from a Business Insider report on vanilla. – These amounts encourage thieves who attack farmers and steal their crops. Therefore, farmers arm themselves to defend their vanilla. If a farmer's vanilla is stolen, it virtually means the end of their livelihood. They have no income then.

Farmers also manually stamp the vanilla pods (similar to cattle branding). Thanks to personalised markings, it is more difficult to sell the pods without proving ownership in case of theft. It is worth noting that intermediaries play a significant role in the Madagascan market, so farmers do not receive the full amounts from the harvest.