Summary

Vanilla is the world’s second most popular spice commodity.
This project will utilise desktop research and thorough industry stakeholder engagement through interviews and surveys to undertake a feasibility study for vanilla production in Australia and develop an RD&E strategic plan for the Australian vanilla industry.
Natural vanilla extract is derived from beans after they have passed through an intensive and time-consuming curing process. Following a growing trend over about 10 years, in 2019, Australia ranked third in the world’s top countries for per capita vanilla consumption and sixth in the world’s top vanilla importers. The gap between domestic production and consumption is continuously growing. Australian vanilla production is very limited, largely centred on a few commercial farms in Far North Queensland (FNQ), plus the recent establishment of an in-vitro vanilla production unit in New South Wales (NSW).

Program

New and Emerging Industries

Research Organisation

Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade

Objective Summary

The key objectives of this project are to:

1. Undertake a feasibility study that determines the potential of vanilla production in Australia.
2. Develop an RD&E strategic plan for the Australian vanilla industry that clearly prioritises key RD&E needs and identifies opportunities for growth within the vanilla industry.