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UEPB Product Profile on Vanilla, No. 9, 2005
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Vanilla: Product Profile No. 9
Product
: Vanilla
HSC Code
: 090500
Specie:
Vanilla planifolia
 
Main seasons
: Jan/Feb and Jun/Jul
Mode of transport
: By Air 
Current International Price
: US $ 25.00 (2005)
INTRODUCTION
Vanilla is thought to have originated from the dense tropical forests of Mexico and central southernAmerica. Today vanilla has been domesticated and is widely cultivated for its highly aromatic pods or  beans. The most important component of the beans is the aromatic substance known as vanillin.Though there are synthetic forms of vanillin, their efficacy is far below that of vanillin extracted fromnatural vanilla. Vanilla production has expanded to several regions including India, China inadditional to traditional producers like Madagascar, Comoros, Papua New Guinea, Reunion Island,Mexico, Indonesia, Tonga and Uganda. This has pushed the prices to lowest figures of US $ 15.00 per kilo in the last ten years. The estimated world wide production is about 6000 tones of natural vanillathough this represents only 20% of international market, remaining percentage representing syntheticvanilla. Most consumers had shifted to synthetic vanilla during the last three years as prices reached amaximum of US $ 400 per kilo, today processors and traders are expected to reduce their prices toattract more buyers of natural vanilla.
Main uses of Vanilla
: Vanilla is widely used in the confectionery and perfumery industries. It is usedfor flavoring chocolate, ice cream, soft drinks, condiments, and alcoholic drinks and to a less extentmedicines. It is added to perfumes and other cosmetic products to give them fragrance. Vanilla is alsoimportant in diffusing the foul smell of rubber during tyre making.
Product specification
Production and traditional processing methods used in Uganda produce Bourbon-type vanilla. Gradingstandards differ among producing countries. Classifications are based on bean length, aroma, color,moisture content, consistency and freedom from blemishes, insect infestations and mildew. Beans arecategorized as whole, split or cuts. Top class beans are dark and oily, with a good strong flavor andaroma and no defects. EU certified laboratories like Chemiphar Laboratories Ltd has equipment toanalyze quality. These analyses include length (should be 12-20 cm), insect infestation (should bezero), moisture content (should be 20-28 per cent), vanillin (should be 1.5 to 2.5 per cent but this isusually specified by the buyer, you may find beans of vanillin less than 1 % being bought) and color (as per buyer specification according to the international color chart). It is advisable to all vanillaexporters to send samples of vanilla for analysis before a shipment is done. Bourbon vanilla isclassified by international standards basing on Madagascar into five main grades of whole and split beans -- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and an additional grade for all other beans (see Table 1).
 
UEPB Product Profile on Vanilla No. 9, 2005
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Table 1: Classes for Vanilla (referred to as the premium standards in the industry
1
st
Good flavor, length greater than 14 cm, supple, full, no spots, no scratches, tannish-brownuniform color, moisture content less than 25 percent2
nd
Good flavor, length greater than 14 cm, supple, some spots and scratches, moisture content25-28 percent3
rd
Good flavor, length greater than 14 cm, supple, some dry spots and scratches, red blemishes,moisture content more than 30 percent4th Broken or cut, length less than 14 cm, red blemishes, moisture content more than 30 percent
PRODUCTION
General Information
Vanilla is an orchid that grows under shade, often inter-planted withother crops such as coffee and bananas. For commercial production, Itrequires support trees that can be controlled especially on light intensityand height. The best support tree so far used in Uganda is
 Jatropha
 
circus
locally known as Ekilowa in the central region.It requires high rainfall more than 1,000 mm/year, and high humidity.While vanilla cannot grow well in dry areas, it does require a short dryseason (2 to 4 months) to stimulate flowering.V
anilla planifolia
and
V. tahentis
are the only commercial speciesutilized for production of food grade vanillin products, V. planifoliaremains the most widely used specie. It is usually grown from vines of 5 feet long, intercropped with other tree crops at 3m by 3m. During the period of early sensitization in the country, farmers tried producing cuttings in the nursery but this practice has been outweighed by the number of vines ready for planting.
Estimated Production of Vanilla in Uganda, 2000-2004
Vanilla production in Uganda started inthe 1950s but was re-introduced in the1980s, and did not gain publicity untilthe late 1990s. In Uganda, vanilla production is found in the districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Masaka, Kiboga,Kasese and Bundibugyo. The volumewas high in 2003 and 2004 due toearlier planting by farmers as a result of increasing farm gate prices in previousyears.The volume is expected to increase inthe coming years due to planting made
Estimated Vanilla Production in Uganda, 2000-2004
303476541866845
0100200300400500600700800900100020002001200220032004
Source: IDEA Project, APEP 
   V  o   l  u  m  e   (   t  o  n  s   )
 
UEPB Product Profile on Vanilla No. 9, 2005
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in 2003 and 2004 when the farm gate and international prices were high.During production, most problems are often caused by poor management practices with poor aerationand damaging of roots through hoe. Farmers are advised to use mulch three times per year withcompost or dry materials which will slowly breakdown to provide the plant nutrients instead of artificial inorganic fertilizers.Since vanilla is a perennial crop, looping of the vines during the wet season encourages healthy rootsystems and proper maintenance of more vines for flowering.Flowering and Pollinating are stimulated naturally by the dry season but selected vine cutting andremoval of the apical buds are no longer good practices. Growers should also reduce the shade levelto 1/3 to further encourage flowering. After flowering growers will need to hand-pollinate theflowers. Harvesting is done 8 to 9 months after pollination or when the blossom end of the green podsstarts turning yellowA vanilla plant will yield commercial beans for 6 to 8 years or longer if well managed. A mature plantof 3 to 4 years can produce 80-100 beans per year. This means, it is possible to obtain yields of 2,000to 3,000 kg per hectare of green beans. This should yield 400 to 600 kilograms of cured beans,depending on the quality of the green bean.
Illustrative Time Line for Vanilla Growing in Uganda
Activities Season One Season Two
Flowering/Pollination
 
Sept-Oct
 
Feb-Mar 
 
Harvesting
 
Jan-February
 
Jun -Jul
 
Curing (Traditional)
 
Jan-Mar 
 
Jun-Aug
 
Exports
 
April onwards
 
Sept onwards
 Production Costs
The table below represents costs incurred by small holders since most production in Uganda is doneon small scale.
Cost of Establishing 100 plants of Vanilla (Ush)Item No. Cost Total
Vines 100 2,000 200,000Support plants -
Jatropha
100 500 50,000Shade plants - banana 120 1,000 120,000Mulch plants - various 1,000 200 200,000Labor (days) - planting and cultivation 150 3,000 450,000Labor (days) - pollination 30 3,000 90,000Animal manure 1 80,000 80,000Tools - hoes, pangas, wheelbarrow 1 70,000 70,000Fencing (meters) 360 150 54,000
Total 1,314,000
Assumptions1. Three years to first commercial crop2. Barbed wire fence3. Mulch from perennial or self-seeding plants such as elephant grass, Tithonia etc
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