The Vanilla Report
Since 2005
Demeter has been conducting in the SAVA region in the North East of Madagascar (80% of vanilla produced in the World) quarterly field surveys of the situation of vanilla production and marketing seen at the level of farmers and village collectors.
Based on a sample that is at each time checked as its representativity of the whole population of farmers, it analyses pollination, production of green vanilla, pricing at green vanilla markets, curing at village level, marketing through collectors to exporters,
Based on the observation of farmgate prices, it gives ahead of time the cost price of exports that will take place after curing, drying, sorting and all other phases of preparation of an exportable vanilla are implemented.
This allows to forecast what a viable export price might be in the coming months.
By tracking cyclones as they present themselves off the coasts of Madagascar and other producing countries (India for instance) , Demeter has been able to evaluate the risk of loss of production due to these cyclones but also to send warnings to farmers through the use of Radio Vanille which is permanently listened to by the 80 000 vanilla farmers in the SAVA region.
These warnings are voiced often 48 hours before the cyclone hits the field, enough for the farmers to find shelter
Our field surveys also keep track of the eventual presence of disease affecting the vines and the beans as fusarium that has recently reappeared, with the increase of new farmers attracted by recent vanilla prices and unaware of some of the basic protection practices that are well spread in villages.
With global warming affecting Madagascar North and South, we have assessed the risks on vanilla production and to the economy of the whole region. Remedies exist that we will present in our reports.
