Cyclones and Vanilla !!

As the cyclone season draws to an end Cyclone Fakir passed between Madagascar and Reunion/Mauritius during the past few days. Thankfully Madagascar was spared further damage after a punishing cyclone season. Now the on-going process of rebuilding homes and infrastructure continues. A slow and expensive exercise.

In the cyclone ravaged north-east, the Vanilla crop (remember Madagascar is the leading producer of quality vanilla in the world) has suffered, and hence the price of beans has recently been around US$600 per kilo (in 2012 it was around US$50 per kilo). As Vanilla is slow growing and hand-pollinated, this industry will take time to re-establish itself, increase supply, and see a fall in price.