Seven years ago, a group of Greek farmers stopped growing tobacco and switched to a trendy alternative to sugar - stevia. Mr Stamatis sought out farmers in his native region of Fthiotida - in their fields or during their breaks in the local cafés - to convince them to plant stevia instead of their less profitable tobacco crop. His power of persuasion worked, as 150 farmers each contributed €500 ($557; £422) towards setting up the Stevia Hellas Co-operative. But Mr Stamatis says that stevia is actually more cost effective, because a little goes a long way - it is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is said to have a water footprint that is 96% lower than cane sugar, and 92% lower than beet sugar.

Source: The Star January 02, 2020 00:11 UTC