The drop in the vanilla price is having a significant impact on farmers in Vanuatu.
The Daily Post reports a West Malo chief Lolo Hiru has raised concerns that the drop in price has affected many families, because of a major switch to vanilla from traditional income earners, copra and cocoa.
Chief Hiru also says he is not happy about how some vanilla buyers are treating local farmers.
He says in one instance a buyer collected vanilla from farmers when prices were high but made payments a few weeks later after the price had gone down.
