Stevia is a cash crop with low risk
and assured tax free returns in a period as short as 3 months. Scientific
cultivation and careful selection of planting material can yield very high
returns for five years as compared to traditional crops.
- Due to the increased awareness towards use of Herbal
and traditionally accepted medicinal plants, a very good market
domestic& international is coming up for the medicinal plants and
Herbals.
- Among the most lucrative Herbal plant is Stevia “Stevia
rebandiana” or Stevia , a native ofparaguay, which provides a whopping
Rs.11.05 lakh returns in a cycle of three years per acre.
- It is a native toBrazil,Venezuela,Colombia,
&Paraguaywhere the native Gurney have used Caa-ehe(Stevia for over
1500 years to sweeten otherwise unpalatable medicinal drinks.
- Members of Composite family (Sunflower)Stevia is a
sweet herb and is fast becoming major source of high potency bio-
sweetener for the rapidly growing market for “natural” foods replacing
chemical sweet ners like Aspartame, Saccharine and Splenda and even table
sugar. Dry Stevia leaf is up to 30 times sweeter than sugar.
- The sweetness in Stevia is mainly attributed to two
compounds viz. Stevioside 15 to 20% and rebaudiosideA(1-3%) which can be
up to 250 times sweeter than sucrose.
- Stevia side has a few advantages over artificial
sweeteners in that it is stable at high temperatures(100.C) and a ptt
range of 3-9 and does not Darlene with cooking.
- In the 70′s & 80′s Stevia was developed as a
sweetener/Flavor enhancer which has since been used widely for this
purpose in Japan,China, Korea, Israel, Brazil and Paraguay.
- In Japanabout 80% of the sweetener market is Stevia
based.
- Stevia is useful in regulating blood sugar, preventing
hypertension, treatment of slain disorders and prevention of tooth decay.
Studies shows that it is natural antibacterial and antiviral agent as
well. On top of that, calorie and carbohydrate free and hence a great
sweetener choice for diabetics, and those watching their weight .
- Stevia, therefor, opens up new avenues for crop
diversification and a viable alternative to sugarcane.There is a potential
to use Stevia in soft drinks, confectionery and bakery etc. Instead of
sweeteners with known adverse side effects in the long run. Stevia
prevents tooth decay with its microbial property . Majority of the
supplementary food products for diabetic patients emphasize on the fibre
& protein content the addition of the Stevia leaves, dried or in
powder form, in such products would not only aid in increasing the natural
sweetness but would also help in rejuvenating the pancreatic gland.
- Apart from this, Stevia is nutrient rich, containing
substantial amount of Protein, Magnesium, Miocene, riboflavin, Zinc,
Chromium, Selenium, Calcium & Phosphorus, Besides Stevia can also be
used as a house hold sweetener in preparation of most Indian sweetmeats.
