Vanilla crop loss in Madagascar may lead to soaring ice cream prices

Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-02 15:32:01|Editor: liuxin
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LONDON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Cyclone Enawo hit Madagascar last month and destroyed 80 percent of the country's vanilla crops, which may cause a sharp rise on ice cream prices all over the world.

According to a Daily Mail report, it's not just vanilla ice cream that's been affected, other flavors of ice creams also use the spice, which is currently the second most expensive only next to saffron.

For example, the chocolate flavor ice creams also need to add vanilla to balance the taste.

Vanilla prices already went high last year because people prefer the natural materials to increasing number of artificial flavorings, according to Financial Times.

The price of raw vanilla beans rose from around 45 U.S. dollars a pound in 2015 to around 227 U.S. dollars a pound now.

As Madagascar produces more vanilla than all other countries combined, the damage caused by the cyclone will possibly affect the prices for years.

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