Vanilla trees wilting away

SEMARANG, Central Java: Around 700 of the 1,000 hectares of vanilla trees in the province are either damaged or have already died of disease.

Wassiman, an official at the provincial office of the plantation agency, said yesterday that the disease which attacks the stems is most likely to affect productive trees.

He said that before the trees die, their stems change color from green to brown.

Wassiman said that a cure for the disease had not been invented yet, adding that losses suffered by farmers should be great given the fact that a kilogram of vanilla sells for between Rp 50,000 and Rp 75,000. (har/par)