Stevia can be grown in India, from the Himalayan foothills (Palampur, Himachal Pradesh) to the plains of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, but it is only worth planting if a processor has agreed in writing to buy your dried leaf. It is a small-leaf, labour-heavy crop, and the gap between the ₹200 to ₹400 per kg "guaranteed" prices in promotions and the ₹55 to ₹100 per kg that buyers are reported to pay is large.

Published Indian trial yields are modest, while sales brochures quote two to three times more. Plan on the trial figures until your own field proves otherwise.

Where it grows in India

  • States: CSIR-IHBT lists Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand as areas where stevia is grown.
  • Trial sites: a three-location trial ran at CSIR-IHBT Palampur (1,393 m, silty clay, pH 6.4), RHRS Jachh (431 m, loamy sand, pH 7.5) and PAU Ludhiana (247 m, sandy loam, pH 7.82). The cooler Palampur site gave the highest yield and Ludhiana the lowest, so heat is a limit in the plains.
  • Soil: well-drained sandy loam or red loam, pH 6.5 to 7.5, with decent organic matter; even short waterlogging kills plants.
  • Light: IHBT found 25% shade gave a significantly higher dry leaf yield than heavy shade, and 75% shade delayed flowering and cut glycoside content. Give full sun, with light shade in hot plains summers if needed.
  • Frost: plants at Palampur were reported to be little affected by frost, high rainfall and pests, but severe winters stop growth.

Varieties and planting material

VarietySourceTraitsSuited to
Him SteviaCSIR-IHBT, PalampurRebaudioside-A 7.34%, stevioside 5.78%, total glycosides 14.49% of dry weight; Reb-A gives a cleaner tasteNorth Indian hills and plains
RSIT 94-751, RSIT 95-10-11Named in a farming guide; origin not verifiedQuoted 10 to 14% steviosideCheck with your buyer
  • Seed germinates poorly and gives uneven plants. Planting stock is usually tissue-culture plantlets or stem cuttings; ask your buyer which variety and glycoside level they want, since payment may depend on it.
  • The IHBT trial raised seedlings for 75 days and transplanted in the 13th to 15th meteorological week (late March to mid April).

Spacing and planting

  • The IHBT multi-location trial used 45 x 45 cm. A separate IHBT trial found 45 x 10 cm gave more dry leaf than 30 x 15 cm per plant.
  • A farming guide recommends 30 x 30 cm on raised beds, which is 40,000 to 50,000 plants per acre (about 1 to 1.2 lakh per hectare). That guide is a secondary source.
  • Use raised beds with drip so water never stands around the roots.

Nutrition and irrigation

  • The IHBT trial found 90 kg N, 40 kg P2O5 and 40 kg K2O per hectare gave the best dry leaf yield at Palampur and Jachh (about 36 kg N, 16 kg P2O5 and 16 kg K2O per acre). Use organic manure as a base and split nitrogen across cuts.
  • Stevioside content varied significantly by location, while Reb-A stayed fairly stable, so the variety matters more than fertiliser for Reb-A.
  • Stevia has shallow roots and needs frequent light watering; a farming guide calls for drip and twice-daily watering for the first week.
  • Pests: whitefly is the most reported; septoria leaf spot and root rot occur. Yellow sticky traps and neem sprays are recommended, and drainage prevents root rot. For any chemical, follow the label and ask your KVK, since stevia is eaten as a sweetener and residues matter.

Harvest and yield

  • The first cut comes about 60 to 75 days after transplanting; later cuts every 70 to 90 days, giving 3 to 4 cuts a year in warm areas. IHBT's Himalayan trials reported three cuts over a two-year crop cycle in the cold hills.
  • Harvest just before flowering, when the glycoside content is highest. Dry the leaves in shade or a dryer to low moisture; buyers reject mouldy or sun-bleached leaf.
  • Trial yield: IHBT's three-site trial recorded dry leaf yields of 1.69 to 1.91 t/ha at Palampur, 1.03 to 1.19 t/ha at Jachh and 0.53 to 0.83 t/ha at Ludhiana, i.e. roughly 0.2 to 0.8 t per acre.
  • Brochure yield: farming guides say 1,500 to 2,400 kg/acre a year (3.7 to 5.9 t/ha). That is up to three times the best Indian trial figure, so do not budget on it without local evidence.
💡 Tip: Plant 0.25 acre first and have the buyer test your dried leaf before you expand. Ask for the written price, grade rules, who pays transport and when payment is made.

Cost and returns

  • Price: one farming guide quotes contract prices of ₹60 to ₹70 per kg of dried leaf, and a second source says the real buy-back is ₹55 to ₹100 per kg against promotional claims of ₹200 to ₹400. A June 2026 price site showed an average near ₹189 per kg and ₹19,824 per quintal at Neemuch APMC on 29 September 2026, but only one mandi reported 0.12 tonnes and the product form is not stated, so do not use it as a benchmark.
  • Arithmetic (illustration): 1,500 kg x ₹60 = ₹90,000 per acre; 2,400 kg x ₹70 = ₹1.68 lakh per acre gross, using the brochure yield. At the trial yield of 0.2 to 0.8 t per acre and ₹60 to ₹70 per kg the gross is only ₹12,000 to ₹56,000 per acre.
  • Costs: one guide estimates ₹40,000 to ₹65,000 per acre in year 1, mostly plantlets, drip, beds and labour (secondary source). Harvesting and drying are labour intensive. Net profit claims of ₹1 to ₹1.5 lakh per acre rest on the brochure yields.
  • Stevia stays in the field for 3 to 5 years with some stand replacement, so first-year costs are shared across years.

Market and risks

  • Buyers are stevia extract processors and some herbal and sweetener companies. The secondary sources name large processors; neither current contract terms nor whether they buy from new growers could be confirmed, so check with them directly.
  • Be careful with plant sellers who promise high buy-back prices, fixed returns or "export" markets: they earn on selling plantlets, and buy-back promises have often not been honoured.
  • Selling the leaf into food use depends on FSSAI rules on steviol glycosides; your buyer should explain the grade and testing they require.
  • See drip irrigation for water saving, FPO for group sales, and subsidy finder for medicinal-plant support. No current NMPB subsidy rate for stevia has been verified.

Sources