Vanilla is one of the world’s most expensive spices because it’s so labor-intensive to grow. Madagascar is responsible for 80% of the world’s supply. And there, each vanilla orchid blooms for just one day a year. Farmers have to hand-pollinate each flower because the plant isn’t native to the island. In recent years, the tough work has paid off, as vanilla prices soared to $600 per kilo in 2018.
But why, if vanilla outpriced silver, are Madagascar farmers still in poverty? Farmers face fluctuating prices, unfair cuts of profits, and vanilla thieves stealing their crops. We head to Madagascar to see how farmers are trying to protect their “green gold.”
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Vanilla Is The 2nd Most Expensive Spice. So Why Do Madagascar’s Farmers Live In Poverty? | Big Business | Business Insider
31 Comments
this is just fucked up. i hate this world
The problem is monocropping. If vanilla was one of ten crops on their land, they would be less subject to wild price swings of both their pay and their costs. Same as farmers in the US.
vanilla ice cream or frozen cream of beans
Colonizers messing things up for dark-skinned people….what’s new?
God I love vanilla
Such bullshit!! The poor farmers are making 17$ a kilo and the guy picking it up after allllll that work is done makes 40 million. That's fucked up!
I'm today years old to know that vanilla came from a plant
Everyone here is blaming white people for owning slaves as the problem these people can't make money, yet will willingly ignore all scientific progress made in synthetic flavors.
No, white people didn't enslave these people, unfortunately progress means leaving old ways behind, and these people don't have anything else but old ways.
As always, where a lot of money is made corrupt cockroaches will steal it from the people who create it who will end up with almost nothing.
13:04 lol, they didn't remove the film
most use the flavor from a beavers butt because its so expensive, True Fact!
I cant help but notice that most of the fancy shit we enjoy is brought to us by the poorest among us. Somehow, the high prices paid dont amount to anything to the people it should impact the most…
What an excellent and interesting video!!
This is how they do bussiness and they will figure it out when they get hungry. These farmers will not sit iddle when they need survival. They already cloak them selves in the farms awaiting the trails.
Thanks 😊
It's because of greedy corporations.
" Coltan is used to make expensive electronics, so why are the miners living in poverty?"
When you the FIRST worldwide exporter of any product you could be the richest person in the world BUT these ppl are still poor
When capitalism replace morality there is no hope for humanity
Why don't they just import orchid bees, dummys
Capatalism, thats why they are in poverty
Worldwide good stuffs comes ftom poor people
Child slavery to pay school
Inflation is a lie . Rich people and banks support it to make extra profit and to keep majority of people always poor and hopeless. Producers can’t make a living but distribution makes high profits on prducts with high prices
Ez answer is exploitation.
Growers Reap Everything Except Dollars 👁
lol give 17 dollars to farmers and sell for 250+ haha what a joke.
Greed. Too many people making money sitting on there asses doing nothing. Most have never done an honest days work in their lives. Greed is a the reason for all world poverty.
You are comparing dry to wet beans though? That will half the weight no? It’s still a rip off.
Why the growers & workers are so poor, coz they don't know how to manage in an educated, intelligent way ,they still go by traditional doings ,& no match for oligarchs minions — Rothchilds, Rockefellers ,Bill Gates etc etc ! These controls many sectors of food & trades !
It's a universal problem this middleman. They're the ones prospering while the farmers remain poor. They should be out of the equation.
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