World’s largest stevia factory will start operations in Piura-Peru

The company has installed its machinery in an area of ​​five hectares, whose processing capacity will be 25 tons of dry leaf per day. Production will be mainly exported to the United States, Europe, Africa and Latin America, and it is projected to export between US $ 40 million and US $ 50 million per year.

The Belgian national company, Stevia One, will soon start operations in the Piura region, having the world’s largest stevia processing plant in Paita.

The project that seeks to process and ship the product from the port city, has an investment of US $ 40 million.

It was also reported that the European company has installed its machinery on an area of ​​five hectares, with a plant processing capacity of 25 tons of dry leaf per day.

Production will be mainly exported to the United States, Europe, Africa and Latin America, and it is projected to export between US $ 40 million and US $ 50 million per year.

Stevia One explained that the customers of these shipments will be the large carbonated beverage factories.

Through a web portal it was known that managers have bought between 150 and 200 hectares in Sullana and expect to have about 500 hectares to start planting this natural sweetener in that region.

With this, the European company aims to have more land and savings in transport, in addition to the conditions that the region would have for this plant.

Stevia One specialists reported that this crop grows best in environments with lots of sunlight, warm temperatures and abundant rain, so Sullana would have two of the three conditions, but the water would not be lacking due to the presence of the Chira River.

According to research from the Department of Agroindustrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Santa, Ancash, Peru became popular in stevia cultivation due to its stevioside content up to 50% more than stevia from China.

The high Amazon area is optimal for stevia cultivation and Piura conditions are probably favorable too, where it could be harvested up to four times a year. Its half-life is up to 14 years

Source: larepublica.pe