vanilla climate region suitable kerala karnataka northeast humidity shade is it worth growing
Is vanilla farming realistic in India and which states actually suit it?
AAnand7mo ago · 296 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓7mo ago
Vanilla is a climbing orchid that needs warm humid conditions, 60 to 80 percent shade, and good rainfall spread, ideally in places like Kerala, Karnataka coastal and Western Ghats belts, parts of Tamil Nadu hills, and the Northeast. It does not suit dry hot plains or frost areas. Be cautious, vanilla had a boom and bust in the early 2000s where many farmers planted on high promises and then prices crashed, so plant for steady long term not a quick fortune. It needs hand pollination flower by flower, shade support trees, and patience. It can do well as an intercrop in arecanut or coffee gardens where shade and humidity already exist. Before investing, confirm suitability and a real buyer with your KVK or the Spices Board, and start small to learn pollination and curing first.
GGanesh Bhat6mo ago
I grow vanilla inside my arecanut garden in coastal Karnataka. The shade and moisture are already there so it suits well. The main work is hand pollination, you must do it yourself in the morning.
PPradeep6mo ago
My uncle lost money in the old vanilla crash when price fell hard. So I started slow with a few vines and a confirmed buyer first. Do not bet the whole farm on it.
LLokesh Gowda5mo ago
Intercropping it in my coffee shade worked better than a pure vanilla plot, because I was not depending only on vanilla income. If the price dips the coffee carries me.