In an era when agrarian distress is showing alarming trends of rise and is not limited to any particular place in the country, success story of Nyili Lomi of West Siang district in the state has shown that progressive farming is fast emerging as a supplement to traditional agricultural methods and is the future.This hardworking farmer has successfully tried a host of produces ranging from mushrooms to banana but has excelled in stevia, that has changed his life.

Stevia, the wonder medicinal plant has become a craze during last decade with demand increasing by leaps and bounds since it has proved to be a rescuer for diabetics all over the world. And in India it is quite obvious that it’s advent will be hailed since diabetes has been identified as the country’s fastest growing disease burden sparing no age group. Having more that 49 percent of world’s diabetes burden, with an estimated  more than 73 million cases currently which is going to almost double by 2025, it is really a huge and serious public health challenge for the nation. And amidst this helpless situation when the most modern methods of research and technology have failed to devise a comprehensive lab-based solution and thrown the towel accepting defeat, stevia, a gift from the lap of nature is proving to be a silver lining.

It’s altogether an all-rounder with innumerable beneficial aspects and hence people are in search of stevia based sugar free tablets, sachets, powder, liquid solution etc which will enable them to enjoy all sweet foods of choice without any fear of increasing their blood sugar level. Besides its increasing use in manufacturing of a wide range of medicines which hitherto used sugar as an ingredient, thus prompting side-effects, stevia is now becoming an essential constituent of FMCG products such as mouthwashes, toothpastes etc. to name a few. Hence, from the commercial point of view it becomes amply clear that a farmer producing stevia will not have to spend sleepless nights for the search of markets, nor will have to face the issue of under-pricing, plaguing the conventional system of agriculture in country.

Stevia or any such alternative cash crop farming has also got far reaching socially beneficial implications in Arunachal as it has freed many villages across various districts from the notoriety they earned from cultivating opium. It has proved to be a great relief for these hapless people who for decades had to carry on this practice primarily due to economic compulsions.

But since stevia cultivation as a futuristic agribusiness model in state has just started its journey, adequate sensitization of farmers regarding policies, schemes, technologies and markets must be given due importance.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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