Vanilla's price bubble vexes prime producer Madagascar

Antananarivo

THE sweet flavours of vanilla are taking on a bitter edge for buyers in Madagascar as prices have almost quadrupled but quality has declined, with experts blaming speculation, money laundering and a poor harvest.

Madagascar, producer of 80 per cent of the world's vanilla, has seen the spice's price jump from about US$60 per kg in 2014 to as much as US$220 now.