As health awareness grows, people's eating habits are changing significantly. To avoid the risks of diabetes and obesity, people are now looking for natural, safe alternatives to sugar. In response to this demand, commercial cultivation of stevia, known locally as "chini pata" (sugar leaf), has begun in Lalmonirhat. The herb, which can be grown cheaply and entirely organically, is emerging as a new cash crop.

Local farmer Abdul Alim has succeeded with the crop in the Dahagram area of Patgram upazila, and many others are now following his lead and taking an interest in this "honey leaf".

According to researchers, dried stevia leaves are many times sweeter than ordinary sugar. One kilogram of dried leaves matches the sweetness of about 40 kg of sugar. Processed into powder it is 50 to 60 times sweeter than sugar, and as an extract 300 to 400 times sweeter. It can be used as a healthy substitute for sugar in tea, coffee, payesh or any sweet food, and because it has no calories it is completely safe for diabetes patients, the report says.

Abdul Alim, a successful entrepreneur and owner of Dahagram Agro Farm, said he went to India looking for stevia powder to help a teacher keep his diabetes under control. Seeing the crop's commercial potential there, he was inspired and brought back some seedlings. He now grows stevia on 12 decimals of land. "I now produce seedlings myself. My farm has also created jobs for two workers. Many people are now turning to stevia after buying seedlings from me," he said.

He said the cost of growing stevia is comparatively low. Using only organic fertiliser instead of chemical fertiliser, he harvests about 25 kg of dried leaves every 45 days, and earns about Tk 50,000 a month from just 12 decimals.

Experts say chemical fertiliser can damage stevia plants, so organic fertiliser suits it best. It is possible to earn Tk 6 lakh to Tk 8 lakh a year from a hectare of the crop.

The agriculture department says Lalmonirhat's climate and soil are well suited to stevia, a profitable crop with promise for farmers.

Dr Saikhul Arifin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Lalmonirhat, said: "We are working to popularise stevia as a new high-value crop, and new entrepreneurs are being given technical and technological support. It could be a safe and effective alternative, especially for diabetes patients."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.