Leave Madagascar Alone: "Researchers, growers seek vanilla production in Florida"

We've followed the highs and lows of the vanilla trade for quite a while, some links below.
From United Press International, August 11:

Growers and researchers in Florida hope the aromatic vanilla bean can provide a lucrative, high-margin crop for the state's farmers.

The University of Florida is heading research into vanilla, which comes from a tropical orchid and carries a hefty price around the world.

The goal is to determine how well the plants grow in Florida's subtropical climate, where the dominant crop -- citrus -- has suffered from destructive diseases and hurricanes that have shut groves and put growers out of business.

Already, the university reports that hobbyists, bakers and breweries are calling to line up more vanilla production.

"The interest in this as a new crop is huge," said Alan Chambers, assistant professor of tropical plant genetics at the university's research station south of Miami....

....MUCH MORE

Well yes, people like vanilla.
And Madagascar is the world's largest producer.
Previously:
December 2019
Commodities: "Madagascar - Vanilla producers say cyclone damaged 30 pct of crop"
June 2019
Commodities: Vanilla Fever
A topic of abiding interest.
From The Economist's 1843 magazine, June/July 2019:
How did hunger for the humble vanilla pod lead to greed, crime and riches? Wendell Steavenson travels to Madagascar to meet the new spice barons....
Sept 2018
Getting In Front Of Madagascar's Vanilla Boom
June 2018
"Why One Island Grows 80% of the World’s Vanilla"
May 2017
So, How Will You Deal With The Great Vanilla Shortage of '17?