The United States was the largest market, taking 1,941 MT, compared to shipments of 490 MT to France, 320 MT to Germany, 290 MT to the United Kingdom, 110 MT to Canada and 182 MT to the Netherlands. Arthur C. Gibson, professor of economic botany at UCLA in the United States, says "to produce vanilla, seed pods are harvested in the early morning and spread on woolen blankets in the sun all morning, and then midday wrapped in the blankets for fermentation. They are stored overnight in metal-lined, air-tight boxes." 

India should work hard to increase vanilla area to at least 3,500 hectares from the current 1,000 hectares. Production in India now ranges between 300 and 350 MT, while international demand for vanilla is estimated at 1740 MT...