Vanilla Industry Development in Sri Lanka

摘要

Vanilla, a crop with almost no cultivation costs and a healthy, stable worldmarket, holds great potential as an export crop in Sri Lanka. This report discusses the status of the vanilla industry in Sri Lanka and offers a strategic plan for developing a private company capable of exporting 50 tons of dry vanilla beans annually by early 1998. Section 1 identifies existing activities to develop Sri Lanka's vanilla bean industry and outlines options for incorporating and configuring the proposed company, taking into account Sri Lanka's strict legislation governing company operations. According to the report, a national corporate structure formed by Sri Lanka's typical small, low-resource vanilla farmers, would not be an option. Instead, small farmers could form village-level organizations which would coordinate planting and be responsible for operating local curing/buying stations. Once several such local organizations have been identified and signed up, a national vanilla marketing company should be organized as a private limited liability company. Section 2 covers strategies and requirements for incorporation, organizational structure and operations, staffing pattern, marketing strategy and approach, farmer remuneration, and cost structure; an implementation strategy and timetable are included. International and national constraints to development of a vanilla marketing company in Sri Lanka are noted in conclusion.