Vanilla promises to be a major source of revenue for Vava'u growers and their families, who are being encouraged to recover neglected plantations and plant new vines.

The cultivating of vanilla as a commercial crop had a boost last year with the formation of the Queen Vanilla Growers Association (Vava'u) Inc. (QVGA), which now has 260 members.

The association’s president, Sione Lolohea said that at least 25 to 30 of the members have productive vanilla plantations, and the remaining members were either recovering their vanilla plantations which were neglected and over-grown, or were replanting new vanilla patches.

QVGA has been offering a financial assistance of $3 per vine, starting from last year, and from 2014-17, each member is eligible to $2 per plant for maintenance, he said. The financial assistance to members comes from Queen Fine Foods Pty Ltd., an Australian company, which will be the sole buyer of the association’s vanilla beans.

The association aims to get Fairtrade International to certify their vanilla products, and they have completed the requirements for certification, which need to be audited.

Sione said that vanilla production is still very low in Vava'u. The QVGA produced only 1.5 tonnes of cured vanilla in 2013, compared with the 4 tonnes exported by Heilala Vanilla in 2013.

 There was competition among the two exporters of Vava'u vanilla, but Sione Lolohea said that at this early stage the most important thing was for the growers to get their vanilla plantations to be productive.