ABSTRACT
Vanilla has been cultivated in French Polynesia since the nineteenth century. Tahitian vanilla, the genuine black gold of French Polynesia, is cultivated for its famous beans, which develop an intense fragrance of anise notes (see Chapter 13). The vanilla plantations are mainly located in the archipelago of the Society Island (Figure 24.1). The surface dedicated to vanilla production covers 306 ha (SDR, 1995). The island of Tahaa is also called the “Vanilla Island.” The island has a land area of 88 km2 and harbored 573 vanilla producers in 2002. Its nearby islands, Raiatea and Huahine, comprised 206 and 300 vanilla producers (census of the SRD, 2002). Vanilla is also widely cultivated throughout French Polynesia. From Tahiti and its sister island Moorea (10.3 ha of vanilla production) to the Marquesas Islands (2.4 ha), the Tahitian people meticulously cultivate their invaluable Tahitian vanilla. Vanilla is cultivated by two techniques: the rst one known as the “traditional way” and the second called the “under shade house technique.”
