The Hindu Business Line : Vanilla meet suggests India brand to garner global market

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Workshop - Vanilla-Sustainable Solutions — on Wednesday, Mr Arun Bewoor, Managing Director, International Flavours and Fragrances India Ltd (IFF) said: "That can be the India Mission to parallel the Vision of putting India on the Vanilla map".

He said 20 per cent of the world market meant an output of 400 tonnes of cured beans or 1,600 to 2,000 tonnes of green beans. "The aim will be to provide an advantage over others in price, range of qualities and simultaneously and most important create a new plantation crop and enterprise in India, " he said. The Indian vanilla industry must now prepare and get ready for itself a strategy for growth, which ensured a permanent recognition, respect and image in the world vanilla market, he said.

The world consumption of vanilla beans is around 2,000 tonnes, of which the US consumes 75 per cent. After the sudden spurt in prices, consumption is down due to re-formulations where extracts may have been eliminated, replaced or reduced, he said.

Dr K. Gopithan, Assistant Vice-President, Agro Projects and R&D, AVT Natural Products, said the future of Indian vanilla would depend on purity of the crop, least cost of production and superior quality-high vanillin beans. He said there had been drop in demand and his company was holding a stock of about 6 tonnes of cured beans. "The buyers have retracted following the rise in the prices."

Growers' representatives reiterated their stand to procure green beans, cure than and market directly through the company promoted by them.The workshop was inaugurated by Mr C.J. Jose, Chairman, Spices Board. Those who participated included Mr Hersh A. Kotecha, Partner, Kotecha Company, Mumbai; Ms Jyothi Ramamohan, General Manger, Natural Products Division, IFF, Chennai; Fr Mathew Vadakkemuriyil, Chairman, INFAM; Mr C. Gopinath, Chairman, Natural Vanilla India, Chickmagalur; Mr P.R. Muraleedharan, Coordinator, Vanilla Growers Associations.; Mr Johny Mathew Pottenkulam, Organic Spices Growers Forum, Mr R Hali, former Director of Agriculture (Kerala), Dr R Mahendran, Managing Director, EuroVanille India, Pollachi, Dr K J Madhusoodanan, Deputy Director, Research, Spices Board, Mr S Kannan Director Marketing, Spices Board, Dr J Thomas, Director, Research ICRI, Spices Board and Mr M K Koshy, Vice-Chairman, CII Kerala.