A GLOBAL vanilla pod shortage is sending a chill down the spine of ice cream producers who have inflated prices to contend with.

With no sign of a price freeze in sight, prices of vanilla pod have been on the rise for several years following harvesting issues in Madagascar – the world's leading supplier.

One man feeling the effects is Steven Darvill, owner of The Handmade Ice Cream Company at Lakeside, who says poor crops on the African island have seen prices soar.

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"I spoke to my supplier and was told there's a six to nine month drying time for vanilla and it was a poor crop last year, and the year before that wasn't particularly good either," he said. "Prices have been dramatically put up.

"It has had a massive impact. We don't use any artificial vanilla we only use pod. It's what we set out to do, it's the whole handmade ice cream ethos so we will have to absorb the costs. We will just take the hit and hope for a better crop next year."

According to data firm Mintec, prices of vanilla have risen year-on-year by 120 per cent because of the supply shortage, while prices have been on the increase since 2012.

Mintec said: "The situation has been exacerbated by importers who stocked up early in anticipation of price hikes, further reducing supplies in the market.

"Despite the upward trend in prices, caused by limited supply, global demand for vanilla has remained firm, further aggravating the market imbalance."

The harvesting and production issues has led to vanilla pod rising to be the second most expensive spice in the world, behind saffron.

Mr Darvill added the he does not expect the trend of rising prices to change any time soon.

"It is a concern but I don't think there will be a global run out of vanilla, it will just get more expensive."