<i>Sweeter than sugar, suitable for diabetics</i>
Stevia cultivation at farmers level soon, says Iswardi BSRI scientists
Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institution (BSRI) in Ishwardi has evolved a tissue culture method for cultivation of Stevia, a wonderful leafy herbal plant many times sweeter than sugar but beneficial for diabetics. It has also innovated a process to produce dust from its leaves, which can be used in preparing tea, other drinks and for baking. Its commercial cultivation at farmers level is not far away, which will benefit them tremendously, BSRI principal scientific officer Dr. Md Amjad Hossain told this correspondent during a recent visit to the institution. “We have distributed tissue culture seedlings among some nurseries for multiplication”, he said. Interested people are also collecting seedlings for planting those in tubs, he said. Its cultivation in normal process is difficult. It can be spread only through tissue culture because seed germination rate is very lowbelow 10 per centand transplantation through 'stem cutting' has proved unsuccessful, he said. “So far, we found that it can be grown only through tissue culture”, he said. BSRI collected two Stevia plants from Thailand in 2001 and has been doing research on it since then. After research for long, BSRI has confirmed its medicinal use also, specially for diabetics. “Its dry leaves are 30-40 times sweeter than sucrose and but does not contain any calorie or glucose”, a BSRI report on Stevia said. Stevia is good for diabetic patients because it is free from sucrose and glucose, it said. The plant is native to Paraguay. Its cultivation started in different countries in 1964. Now it is grown in Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Tanzania, Canada and the United States. Research is going on for its commercial cultivation on fields, said BSRI scientific officer Nadira Yasmin. “We are still producing the plant in tubs”. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) of USA has certified that Stevia is very useful for health as it also controls pressure, she said. “We are doing more research on whether it has any bad affect on humans. Experiment is also going on at Mymensingh Agriculture University”, she said. BSRI has sought government's permission for allowing its commercial cultivation, which will open up tremendous prospects for farmers. At least one lakh seedlings could be planted in one hectare of land, she said. BSRI is producing Stevia dust and small quantities are being distributed among local people, BSRI sources said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments