C o m m e r c i a l C u l t i v a t i o n G u i d e

Introduction
Not only in India, the number of diabetes
patients is increasing rapidly all over the
world. Because of this, the demand for
sugar controlling thing and its natural
alternative has also increased rapidly.
Stevia, used as a substitute for sugar, is one
such plant.
To avoid pollution and many serious
diseases, the market of Natural Products
and Medicine in India is continuously
growing rapidly. In the cultivation of
medicinal plants, low cost ensures long-
term earning.
 In the research of the Indian Agricultural University, it has been
revealed that Stevia or Madhupatra leaves contain high amounts
of protein and fiber. Apart from being rich in calcium and
phosphorus, these leaves also contain many minerals. That's why
they are used for diabetes patients. Apart from this, stevia leaves
are in demand on a large scale in fish food and cosmetics and
pharmaceutical companies.

The government is giving 20 percent subsidy to promote stevia

cultivation. Farmers are also being made aware for this. Apart
from health, it is also beneficial economically.

Medicinal Uses of Stevia

The usefulness of stevia, a plant that has gained
immense importance in the commercial and
medicinal world in recent years, is due to the
quality of sweetness found in it. In addition to being
25 to 30 times sweeter than normal sugar, the
specialty of stevia is that it is completely calorie-
free, due to which it is completely safe to use as
sugar for diabetic patients. Along with this, it is safe
to use for people who are calorie conscious and
who are very conscious of increasing their weight,
because the various sweeteners currently being
used are not completely safe for humans, so stevia
is used in this situation. Which is a completely
herbal product and free from all kinds of side
effects, is becoming a suitable effective alternative
to sugar. At present, stevia extract has occupied
40% of the market of sweeteners in various eastern
countries like Japan and Korea etc., in which
continuous growth is taking place.

It also regulates high blood pressure and blood

sugar, it also provides relief from skin disorders, it is
also anti-viral and anti-bacterial and also provides
relief from diseases of teeth and gums. Thus, it can
be seen that Stevia is a plant of great medicinal
and commercial importance, which can have a
wide national and international market.
 Farming Method

Stevia is a relatively new plant for cultivation in India and its large-scale cultivation
is still limited mainly to the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Along with this, till
now it was understood that this plant cannot tolerate too cold and too hot (below 10
degrees and above 41 degrees) climates and cannot be successful only in net
house, but recently Some of its new species have proved this concept wrong and
now it is being successfully cultivated in different parts of the country. Along with
Madhya Pradesh, its cultivation has started in many other states like Punjab,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, etc., based on the results of which its agricultural
technology can be seen as follows.

Uses of Stevia Leaves

i. Chocolate and Toffee:
If stevia powder is used in chocolate and toffee, it can provide protection to the
teeth from harmful microbes.
II. For Diabetics:
Special emphasis is laid on fibrous material and protein in the food of diabetic
patients. If Stevia powder is added to it, it will not only increase its natural
sweetness but will also help in repairing the pancreatic gland. This is because it
has an amazing ability to control insulin.
iii. For the preservation of food items:
By mixing stevia powder in food, it can be preserved for a long time, because
fermentation does not take place in it.
iv. As a tonic:
Beverages made from stevia act as medicine and tonic as all the elements
required by the body like protein, calcium, phosphorus, etc. are available in it.
v. Medicinally:
In case of indigestion, using soft stevia leaves as tea provides relief. It is also useful
for the quick healing of wounds, scars, scratches, and cuts. In addition to reducing
high blood pressure, it also maintains more or less normal (buffer) body
temperature.
vi. other uses:
It is being used as a better alternative to saccharin, aspartame, escalcap-k,
etc. The stereoside obtained from this is 100 cm. As such, it remains stable
even at high temperatures and 3.9 pH. It is also used in the production of
gibberellic acid. It is also a calorie-free sugar hence it is also named as a
'high quality calorie free bio-sweetener'.

Climate
Stevia can be adopted in almost all areas except those areas where the minimum
temperature goes below 9-10 degrees in winter. High temperatures in summer
(above 45 degrees) can affect this plant and the growth of the plant stops, but if
arrangements are made in advance and the same variety of stevia is planted it can
be successfully grown in high temperatures. If it is possible to go and protect the
plants from the high heat, if they are planted in between the plants of maize or
moringa, amla, etc., then there will be no effect of high temperature. Many farmers
also use polyhouse or greenhouse / net house in order to maintain this type of
temperature.

Stevia is not a shade-loving plant, so it should be planted in the open because

excessive shade/shade hinders the growth of plants and their stevioside content is
also affected. Similarly, when the temperature goes below 7-8 degrees for centuries,
then the roots of the plants are not able to absorb the nutrients properly, due to
which their growth is affected. In both situations (in case of high temperature as well
as in case of low temperature), the interval of irrigation should be reduced. In this
way, in a climate of 10 to 45 degrees, Stevia grows successfully without any binding,
but if the temperature is lower or higher than this, then it will be necessary to make
proper arrangements for its maintenance.

Soil Suitability
Stevia plants grow most successfully in soils that are soft, not
too clayey, rich in fossils, and in which water does not
stagnate for long. Thus, very smooth and heavy soils are not
suitable for this. Generally, sandy loamy soils, and light and
red soils having pH between 6 to 8 would be suitable for its
cultivation.

Water Requirement

Stevia needs water throughout the year. The water should be

of good quality whose electric conductivity is in accordance
with the prescribed parameters.
Irrigation should be arranged through the drip method as
much as possible because the possibility of the outbreak of
various germs on the crop may increase in watering with
sprinkler method.
 Main species of stevia

Around 90 species of stevia have been developed around the world, which have been
developed to suit the climate of the respective regions. It has been found that especially
in southern India, there are varieties in which the percentage of stevioside is only 3.5%.
Because the price of stevia is determined only by the amount of stevioside, therefore
only such species should be cultivated which have the maximum amount of stevioside
and which also suits the climate of their area. At present mainly the following species of
Stevia are in vogue from the point of view of agriculture.

MORITA- MORITA- 1, 2, 3 SRB- SRB- 123, 512, 125

Selection of Suitable Planting Material

From the point of view of commercial cultivation of stevia, it is necessary that such
suitable species are selected, which are suitable for the climate of the concerned region.
Because which species will be more suitable for which area and which will have how
much glucoside content will depend on which species you have planted, the selection of
the species should be done thoughtfully. In this context, the following precautions will be
required.

Pre-planting precautions

Before buying Stevia plants, it will be mandatory for the farmers to consider the following
points-
Are your plants prepared by tissue culture method? Plants prepared by the tissue culture
method are undoubtedly the best.
· The variety of stevia you are taking, is it suitable for your climate?
What is the amount of stevioside in the variety you have?
It is necessary to prepare the field well, for this first of all the field is deeply plowed and
organic fertilizers are added to it. In order to keep the field safe from soil-borne diseases
and termites etc., 150 to 200 kg of ground neem cake per acre is also mixed in the field
while preparing the field.

Planting on ridges/beds- Stevia is planted on ridges/beds. It is especially necessary to

make rams so that in the event of rain or during irrigation, the water passes through the
drains and does not create a situation of water logging. From the point of view of the
development of the roots, making rams/beds would have been appropriate. With this in
view, 1 to 1.5 feet high rams are made in the field. The width of these rams is kept at about
2 feet. After making rams, stevia saplings are planted on them. For this purpose, plants
prepared by the tissue culture method of Stevia are obtained and planted keeping a
distance of 15 to 20 cm between plants and 1 foot between rows. It can be spread on
both sides of the ridge while planting. In this way, about 30000 stevia plants are planted
on one acre.

Planting on level ground- Stevia is also planted on level ground, this method is easier
than the bed planting method and this method is done for planting time, in this method
flat prepared ground as compared to the bed method But the number of plants is more.

Planting time- As far as the most suitable time for planting stevia is concerned, it can be
planted anytime except during extreme summers and extreme winters. Thus, in the
context of northern India, it can be planted anytime except December-January and
April-May. By the way, the most suitable months for its planting are September to
November and February to April.
 Irrigation system

Stevia crop requires continuous irrigation throughout the year. Although sprinklers
can also be used for irrigation, the best medium for Stevia's Lee irrigation is the drip
method. Therefore, the drip method should be used for the irrigation of stevia as
much as possible.

Weed control and weeding

Stevia crop should be continuously cleaned and whenever any type of weeds are
found in the crop, they should be uprooted. Weeding of the field should also be done
at regular intervals. So that the soil moisture remains. Weed control should be done
manually and no chemical weed killer should be used for this.

Requirement of fertilizers and other nutrients

Being a continuously growing crop, stevia requires a lot of nutrients. Along with the
manure applied during field preparation, after each harvesting, 500 kg earthworm
manure and 30-30 kg prom organic manure should be put near the plants. Because
stevia is a side-consuming vegetable, therefore, as far as possible, no chemical
fertilizers or tonics should be used in the crop.

Major diseases occurring on the crop and their control

Although most of the outbreaks of any particular disease or insect have not been
seen on stevia, due to a lack of boron element in the soil, there may be an outbreak
of leap spot. For its diagnosis, 6% borax can be sprayed. By the way, by mixing cow
urine or neem oil in water and spraying it at regular intervals, the crop remains
completely free from diseases or insects/worms. It should be kept in mind that no
chemical insecticide should be used for disease control. Because stevia is a direct
human use item, so if the effect of chemical pesticides is seen on this product, then
effective steps should be taken to stop it before its pest attack, for which regular
monitoring is a precautionary measure (Precautionary measure) Spraying of cow
urine at intervals can be a good step.

Crop harvesting

Stevia crop is ready for first harvesting after about four months of planting. The work
of harvesting should be done before flowering on the plants, because after flowering,
the amount of stevioside in the plant starts decreasing, due to which it does not get
its fair value. In this way, the first harvesting is done after four months and further
harvesting starts coming in every 3-3 months. Whether harvesting is first or second
or third, it is necessary to keep in mind that in any case harvesting should be done
before flowering on the plant. For harvesting purposes, the whole plant can be cut
and leaves can also be selected. Even after cutting the whole plant, its leaves can be
plucked. After plucking the leaves, they should be dried in the shade. The leaves
become completely moisture-free after being dried in the shade for 3-4 days and
after that, they are packed in sacks and presented for sale.

Government of India subsidy

By 2022, the stevia market is estimated to increase further by about Rs 1000 crore. In
view of this, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has announced a 20-30
percent subsidy to farmers on stevia cultivation. In the research of the Indian
Agricultural University, it has been revealed that stevia leaves contain high amounts
of protein and fiber. Apart from being rich in calcium and phosphorus, these leaves
also contain many minerals. That's why they are used for diabetics. Apart from this,
there is a large demand for these leaves in fish feed and cosmetics, and
pharmaceutical companies.

Ways will also open for the establishment of food processing

industries

Stevioside is a calorie-free, non-toxic sweet compound found in the plant

Stevia, considered a boon for diabetic patients. It does not cause side effects
like sugar in the body. It is beneficial for diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
It is increasingly used as a flavor enhancer, herbal tea, and in
pharmaceutical, food, and beverage applications. With the increase in the
area under its cultivation in the state, avenues will also open for the
establishment of new food processing industries.
 Total Cost Per Acre
particulars Work Price
Ground preparation Ploughing, leveling the land, preparing beds, etc. 5,000

Organic Fertilizer, Insecticide, Fungicide, Growth

Fertilizer 14,750
Booster E.

35000 Saplings @ Rs. 1.95/- per plant 35000 plants @

Plants 68,250
Rs. 1.95/- per plant

Sowing 2,000

Electricity bill irrigation irrigation 1,000

Shade net Shade for drying leaves Shade for drying leaves 4,000

Harvesting leaf cutting leaf cutting 2,000

PP bags and polythene bags PP bags and polythene

Packaging 1,000
bags

general care farm and other general care farm and

Maintenance 2,000
other

Total cost per acre   99,000

Net Income Per Acre

Production First Harvest Second Harvest Third Harvest

Net Yield 300 kg 400 kg 700 kg

Buy Back Price Rs.150 kg Rs.150 kg Rs.150 kg

Net Selling Price 45,000 60,000 105,000

Gross Sales 2,10,000/-

Net Profit (2,10,000 -

1,11,000/-
99,000=)

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