Vanilla Cultivation and Hand Pollination — Karnataka

Vanilla planifolia, the world's most labour-intensive spice crop, requires hand pollination of every flower — a painstaking 4-second operation per blossom. Uttara Kannada (Sirsi, Siddapur) and Coorg in Karnataka are India's vanilla growing belt. Vanilla vines are trained on shade trees (silver oak, arecanut). Flowers open one morning only; trained workers pollinate with wooden sticks. Green pods cured for 6 months: sun-wilted, sweated, dried, and conditioned. Vanilla beans sell at ₹30,000–80,000/kg depending on quality. India exports vanilla extract to Europe and USA. Farmer collectives have formed to negotiate directly with global spice buyers.