Stevia ; A sweet herb grown traditionally in southern america continent, was introduced in India 9-10 years ago. In these last 10 years the govt could not make any policy for the introduction of stevia in India. Many departments stared to work on stevia independently without proper coordination among each other. The research institutes started to do the research on it. Medicinal plantation board distributed the subsidy on it through many state government without any proper marketing infrastructure. The research scholars completed their PhD on stevia.
After 10 years there are three major govt bodies who had not opened their cards on it.
FSSAI : Food safety and standard authority of India. the newly formed regulatory body of govt which is responsible for regulations the food products in india, has not cleared it policies. On time it has issued the notice to ban it, the line of this issue is still not cleared. It banned it as artificial sweetener. but it is a natural sweetener. This is in teh codex list of FSSAI. A lot of the unbranded and branded stevia products are available on the medical and grocery counters. No one know what is happening, people are importing the refined form of stevia extract from china and other countries. Every thing is in gray area. Some companies claim that they are having approval for the stevioside. I am still not able to understand how can FSSAI approve one one or two brand of a product instead of a particular product. Every thing is in gray area.
ICMR :- Indian Council for Medical Research. This is the apex body which will decide the dose and intake of the stevia for human consumption. The body will decide the safe dose per day per kg weight.No efforts have been made by this body for stevia. The fact is also come in light that stevia cause cancer. The body will coordinate with international bodies of same level to clear stevia a safe for human consumption. whether the stevioside cause reaction or hazardous effect with other food intake. In foreign countries it used as producing low calorie beverages and other food items, but every thing is in gray in India.
MOFPI :-Ministry of food processing Industries. This is the ministry which will develop the indsuries based on the stevia products from processing of raw material to the food preparations and marketing. Still there is no guide line for licencing, regularizing,developing, and promotion of the stevia industry in India.
Farmers invested their money and affords in this stevai cultivation but he marketing side is still not clear. Agriculture institutes started to do the research but don't know who will use it.business man invested money in the stevia business but don't know to who they will sell it or who will their customer.
Being a diabetic capital, there is lot of scope of Stevia industry in India. due to the climatic condition it can be a good source of the foreign revenue for Indian Economy .
