The current production potential lies in the range of 100–150 tons/year. However, due to continuous drop in prices, production declines and will continue to do so if no major change occurs in the vanilla market. Should market condition and prices change, the most likely scenario is a delayed reentry into the market, which will contribute to a renewed boom and bust cycle as was observed earlier in this decade.
The outlook for organically and fair-trade-certified vanilla is more promising. Certified farmers are more reluctant to abandon their plantations, primarily because prices are better and the demand more stable. As such, should the market situation change, they should be the major beneficiaries.
In comparison with other vanilla-producing regions worldwide, East Africa is, however, strongly handicapped by its landlocked position. It results in comparatively high transport costs and makes local producers and exporters struggle to remain competitive. The impact is particularly large during low-price phases. As a result, it is very unlikely that vanilla production in this region will increase significantly over the production levels that was seen some years ago.
For East African exporters to stay competitive, many have opted for different types of certification (organic, fair, or both) to add value to their vanilla and some have begun to transfer their vanilla into extract and powder. This trend will most likely continue, at the expense of companies in Europe and the United States that are specialized in transforming vanilla.
Last but not least, although East Africa can produce very good vanilla, it is diffi-cult to compete against the well-established Bourbon brand. Despite the fact that many consumers do not really know what Bourbon stands for they perceive it as superior to vanilla that is not labeled as Bourbon. This is a widespread phenomenon in Europe. French consumers and traders are particularly snobbish and ignorant in this. In the United States, the issue is handled less rigidly and it is not uncommon that vanilla from, for example, Indonesia is advertised as Bourbon beans from Indonesia if they were processed by the Bourbon technique.
Chapter 22. Vanilla Production in Mexico
Juan Hernández Hernández and Pesach Lubinsky
Introduction
The principal vanilla species of commerce (“Mexican vanilla” or “Bourbon vanilla” [Vanilla planifolia G. Jackson]) is a rare orchid native to Mexico and Central America (Cameron and Soto Arenas, 2003; Lubinsky et al., 2008; Portères, 1954). The naturally fragrant and cured fruits of V. planifolia were used in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica by various cultures, most prominently by the Totonac of northern Veracruz (the Papantla region), the Aztec of Central Mexico, and the Maya of the tropical lowlands of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize (Bruman, 1948; Lubinsky, 2007; Rain, 2004). These cultures employed vanilla as a medicinal (stomachic) and flavoring agent, usually in the form of an ingredient to spice cacao beverages.
From roughly the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s, Papantla had a global monopoly on vanilla production (Bruman, 1948; Kourí, 2004), earning it the reputation as “The city that perfumes the world” (Rain, 2004). Papantla retains its status as the principal producer of vanilla in Mexico today, although the country itself is a minor supplier globally.
Growers in the Papantla region refer to cultivated V. planifolia as “vainilla mansa” (i.e., “domesticated vanilla”) to distinguish it from other varieties and species that can still be found growing wild in the forests and which occasionally may be grown by particular farmers (= “vainilla silvestre” or “vainilla del monte”). This genetic wealth emphasizes Mexico’s importance as a center of domestication and diversity for vanilla.
Vanilla production in Mexico is situated in the coastal and foothill region of the Gulf of Mexico, from sea level to an altitude of 700 m. The prevailing climate is tropical hot and humid with average temperatures around 24°C, relative humidity of 80%, and rainfall from 1200 to 3000 mm annually. The dry season lasts from March until June. The winter months (November–February) are characterized by cool, humid winds of low intensity called “nortes,” which sweep down unimpeded from the Arctic Circle. These low temperatures are critical for stimulating flowering vanilla in the spring.
The major producers of vanilla in Mexico are Veracruz (70%), and Oaxaca and Puebla, the latter two of which are responsible for most of the remaining 30%. Minor vanilla-producing states include San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo.
At the national level, an estimated 4000 families produce vanilla, mostly among indigenous communities. In 2005, approximately 1106.75 ha were used for vanilla production, yielding 189 tons of “green vanilla” and 30 tons of cured beans (SAGARPA, 2005; SIACON, 2005). This supply is managed between six private companies and four farmer cooperatives that produce vanilla, oversee its curing, and arrange its sale for national and international markets (Table 22.1).
| Company/Organization | Address |
|---|---|
| Santa Beatriz | Arturo Tremari No. 104, Papantla, Ver. Tel. 784-8420690 |
| Casa Larios | Gildardo Muñoz, No. 401, Papantla, Ver. Tel. 784-8420160 |
| La Alternativa | Ejido Primero de Mayo, Papantla, Ver. Tel. 728226048 |
| Consejo Nacional de Productores de Vainilla | Benito Juárez No. 202, Papantla, Ver. Tel. 784-8423905 |
| Productores Asociados de Vainilla del Totonacapan | Ejido Cuyuxquihui, Papantla, Ver. Tel. 784-8490548 |
| Gaya Vai-Mex | Av. Hidalgo No. 56, Gutiérrez Zamora, Ver. Tel. 766-8450497 |
| Vainilla del Totonacapan | Benito Juárez No. 14, Gutiérrez. Zamora, Ver. Tel. 766-8450226 |
| The Mexican Vanilla Plantation | Ejido Chacuaco, Tuxpan, Ver. Tel. 783-8346838 |
| Global Fungi | SPR de RL de CV. Xicoténcatl No. 214, Teziutlán Pue. Tel. 231-3121732 |
| Consejo Regional de Productores de Vainilla | Cerro Quemado, San Pedro Ixcatlán, Oax. Tel. 287-8779074 |
VANILLA PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN MEXICO
There are four systems of vanilla cultivation in Mexico (Hernández Hernández, 2005), which are classified in the following manner.
TRADITIONAL OR “ACAHUAL”
Vanilla is cultivated in managed secondary forests (“acahual”) (Figure 22.1) alone or in combination with coffee (Coffea) and/or palms (Chamaedorea). The size of these plots is typically less than 1 ha, and are employed by more than 80% of growers. The density of plants in these plots is relatively low as well as the allotment of time the grower uses to manage the growth (e.g., looping and rooting) and care (e.g., fertilizing) of the plants. Consequently, yields are low, averaging 200 kg of green vanilla/ha.