Efforts to boost vanilla production in Seychelles took a step forward last week with a technical mission led by Carine Charron, a consultant from CIRAD (Centre for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development) based in Réunion Island.
During her one-week mission, Ms. Charron held a courtesy meeting with the Principal Secretary for Agriculture and representatives from the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB). The meeting served as a platform to assess the progress of the regional project, Germination III, through its actions of preservation, valorization, and dissemination of agricultural plant genetic resources (APGR), positioning itself as an essential project for food security and sustainable agricultural development in the Indian Ocean.
The consultant’s field visits included two key vanilla production farms on Mahé: Jardin du Roi and the vanilla farm of Mrs. Stella Gouffe in Val d’En dor. She also visited L’Union Estate on La Digue, a historic site with active vanilla cultivation.
As part of the mission’s technical objectives, 70 vanilla samples were collected from L’Union Estate farm. These samples will be sent to laboratories in Réunion for testing to determine the variety of vanilla being cultivated and to check for any potential diseases threatening the local crop.
The mission concluded with a debriefing session at the Department of Agriculture, where Ms. Charron shared her preliminary findings and recommendations. Among the key proposals discussed was the possibility of introducing new, more resilient vanilla varieties from Réunion Island to help strengthen the country’s vanilla sector.
The initiative forms part of a broader effort to revive and develop the vanilla industry in Seychelles, combining local expertise with regional support to create a sustainable and high-quality production chain.