Name: 原料比白銀還貴？香草為什麼那麼貴？(Why Vanilla Is So Expensive?)
Uploaded: 2022-04-26T21:01:30.000Z
Duration: 3 min 25 s

The word is even used to mean "boring", "average", or "basic".

這個詞甚至被用來表示「無聊」、「普通」或「基本」。

Why do we have to go all vanilla on this song?

為什麼我們要這麼平淡的唱這首歌？

See, what we need is my chocolate thunder.

我們需要的就是我的天籟美聲。

But vanilla may not always be so run-of-the-mill.

但香草或許不是如此平淡無奇。

Vanilla prices have climbed so high it's worth more by weight than silver.

秤重香草的價格已經攀升到比還銀更值錢。

And that high price tag could be bad news for lovers of ice cream, yogurt, chocolate, and even perfumes.

對於冰淇淋、優格、巧克力，甚至是香水的愛好者而言，這麼高價是個壞消息。

One reason vanilla has gotten so expensive is: it's hard to grow.

香草會這麼昂貴的原因之一：很難種植。

Vanilla vines take two to four years to fully mature, and their flowers only bloom for one day of the year.

香草藤需要二到四年才能完全成熟，香草藤的花一年也只開一天。

In order for the plants to produce beans, they have to be pollinated that day.

為了讓香草生產果實，他們必須在那天授粉。

In most places where vanilla is grown, it isn't a native plant, and there aren't bugs or birds capable of pollinating the flowers.

在大多數種植香草的地方，它不是當地野生的植物，也沒有蟲子或鳥類能夠為花授粉。

Vanilla is native to Mexico, but deforestation there has greatly reduced its natural habitat.

香草原產於墨西哥，但那裡的森林砍伐大大縮減香草的自然棲息地。

In Madagascar, where over 80% of vanilla is produced, the flowers have to be pollinated by hand.

在馬達加斯加生產出超過 80% 的香草，而這些花必須由手工授粉。

The pods need several months to cure after harvesting.

豆莢在收割後需要幾個月的時間來加工。

The whole process is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

But the record high price of vanilla also has to do with changes in the vanilla market.

但香草創下歷史新高的價格也與香草市場的變化有關。

In the 1980s, cheaper artificial vanilla overtook the market.

在 1980 年代，便宜的人造香草席捲了市場。

Vanilla farmers cut back production because they weren't making enough money.

農民因為賺不到足夠的錢而減少生產香草。

But around 2011, demand for real vanilla rose again.

但到 2011 年左右，對天然香草的需求再次出現。

Big companies were joining the all-natural trend, pledging to eliminate artificial flavorings from their products, but it's taken a while for the vanilla farmers to get back in the game and they don't all want to.

大企業加入了全天然的趨勢，並承諾從他們的產品中去除人工香料，但香草農民花了一段時間才重回到市場中，而且並非所有人都想回來。

Growing vanilla is a stressful and volatile business; because there is such high demand, vanilla beans are a target for theft.

種植香草是一個充滿壓力且易波動的行業；因為香草的需求很高，香草豆是竊盜的目標。

After working hard to cultivate their crops, some farmers have their beans stolen.

有些農民辛勤耕耘後，他們的香草豆卻被偷了。

As the stolen beans move up the supply chain, they get mixed in with legally purchased beans, making it difficult for buyers to know which are which.

被偷的豆子流入供應鏈時，竊賊會把它們與合法購買的豆子混在一起，讓買家很難辨別哪些才是合法購買的豆子。

To prevent theft, farmers pick the beans before they're ripe, and unripe beans means lower-quality vanilla.

為了防止盜竊，農民會在豆子成熟前先摘下來， 而未成熟的豆子代表香草的品質降低。

Farmers also try to prevent theft by branding their vanilla crops with a metal pronged brand.

為了防範竊盜，農民也用金屬把商標印在它們的香草上。

That way, buyers can identify what farm the vanilla came from.

這樣買家就能辨別出香草是來自哪一個農場。

Farmers also run the risk of having their crops destroyed by extreme weather events.

農民也面臨著極端氣候摧毀掉農作物的風險。

Cyclones are common in Madagascar and climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of those storms.

暴風在馬達加斯加很常見，而氣候變遷正在增加這些暴風頻率和强度。

If a cyclone were to wipe out vanilla crops next year, it would take until at least 2022 for new plants to start producing beans, and farmers might not want to take that risk.

如果明年有暴風摧毀香草的農作物，那至少要等到 2022 年才能生產出新的豆子，農民可能也不想冒這種風險。

So the supply could continue to drop even further.

所以供應量可能還會持續下降。

The once basic, boring vanilla may wind up becoming a rare sought-after delicacy.

曾經枯燥乏味的香草可能會成為稀有且廣受歡迎的佳餚。