•  Stevia, a high value medicinal plant whose dry leaves can be used by diabetics, has been successfully cultivated in Debang valley district of Arunachal Pradesh and is ready for commercial harvesting.
  PB Kanjilal, head of medicinal plant division of Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) of Jorhat, said the laboratory had adopted several villages at Roing in Debang valley to motivate 300 farmers to cultivate the plant whose leaves are far sweeter than sugar and can be used by diabetics.
  
  The particular area was selected as the climatic condition there was ideal for the cultivation of stevia, he said.
  Stevia plants yield 2,500 kg dry leaves per acre per annum and one kg green leaves can fetch Rs 125.
• J S Sandha (in Jalandhar, Punjab ), who’s growing herbal plants like Stevia Rebaudiana — a natural sweetener without calories — and herbal tea on his 15-acre farm in Uppal Khalsa village in Noormahal says: ‘‘Herbs are a good proposition. They fetch you Rs 1.5 lakh an acre annually.’’
  Last year, Sandha exported Stevia worth Rs 15 lakh with the help of his UK-based friend Kewal Singh Uppal. Now the two plan to expand their business to Belgium and France.
• Exploiting the uses of this Non-Caloric Sweetener will open new avenues in the food and herbal medicine as an alternative source of natural sugar. USA FDA has permitted use of Stevia as a dietary supplement vide # IA 45-06.
• Stevia Australia Pty Ltd is to establish the Stevia industry in Australia, with a clear focus on the export market, and will cultivate, grow, harvest, process and market Stevia products. The company has access to what it considers the best plant material in the world (in terms of vegetative yield and stevioside fraction), and 'world's best' germination percentage.
• Stevosides contain zero calories and can be used as a sugar substitute in cooking and baking. They are especially beneficial to diabetics and those wishing to reduce sugar intake for health reasons. Its primary use is as a sweetener to enhance the palatability of food and drinks. Unlike aspartame, Stevia sweeteners are heat stable to 200 degrees centigrade, are acid stable and do not ferment, making them suitable for use in a wide range of products

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