: I-T Consultant Helps 500 Farmers Increase Income By 4 Times Through Stevia #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture Rajpal Singh Gandhi’s entry into agriculture was marked by huge financial losses and crop damages.

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I-T Consultant Helps 500 Farmers Increase Income By 4 Times Through Stevia #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture
Rajpal Singh Gandhi’s entry into agriculture was marked by huge financial losses and crop damages. He planted potatoes, vegetables, gladiolus, and more in the beginning, but failed to get appropriate results.
Most of us would consider giving up, but not Rajpal, an income tax consultant. He kept at it and decided to give one final shot to stevia cultivation.  
He channelised all his resources, money and time to grow the crop.  
When he was unable to find a domestic market, Rajpal approached international companies and found a breakthrough in Canada and Germany.  
This was in 2008.  
Over the years, Rajpal, who is from Banga in Punjab, has popularised stevia domestically and created a demand for the sweetener. He has also collaborated with the state governments of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and trained hundreds of local farmers, he says.   
His processing plant in the Kandi (sub-mountainous) area on the foothills of the Shivalik processes close to five tonnes of leaves every day.   
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh felicitates Rajpal with ‘Tamra Patra’ award for his contribution in agriculture on the occasion of 550th Guru Nanak Jayanti.
Under ‘Green Valley Stevia, he sells stevia leaves, powder and other value added products such as tabletop sweetener, cheeni kum and herbal infusions to companies and individual customers.  
“Usually, agriculture is a generational occupation and farmers inherit the land. The other club comprises people who are passionate about growing their own food. I belonged to neither. I purchased 40 acres of land as an investment opportunity but soon realised it was virgin land. No one had done farming on it so it was highly fertile and chemical-free. I became the first generational agriprenuer in my family. If done right, farming can generate impressive profits. I wanted to set an example that investing in cultivable land can be profitable,� Rajpal tells The Better India.  
What makes stevia viable? 
Way before stevia, a natural sweetener, became a go-to alternative to sugar in India, Rajpal recognised its growing importance. During his research in 2008, he came across a case study of Japan, which stated that 70% of its population had shifted to stevia as a sweetener.  
“Japan has very little cultivable land, so they import the dry leaves. I was surprised to see that kind of demand abroad, including in countries like Germany, Belgium and Sweden. In India, I had to set up a processing unit to sell the produce in powdered form. I approached the Ministry of Science and Technology for grants and experts for knowledge. After some years of rejections and research, I was able to get IIT Mumbai to build a unit and identify four varieties of stevia plants that are 300 times more sweet than sugar.

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