Status report on global Neem usage - Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal

• Use of neem as a home-made pesticide does not have high social status
• Technical problems in processing and use as a home-made product
3. NEEM AS A NON-SYNTHETIC PESTICIDE
• Neem raw materials can only be stored for a limited period in humid tropical conditions.
Many of the above drawbacks are closely related and could be remedied quite easily. By
disseminating knowledge about neem, it is possible to do away with some restrictions on
use, such as doubts as to its effectiveness or the low esteem in which neem usage is held in
many societies. The problems associated with processing and application could be resolved
with specifically targeted promotion, e.g. by state extension services.
In many developing countries it is principally NGOs and small businesses which are active in
spreading knowledge about neem and its uses. One advantage here is that the spread of
raw neem products does not require a large starting capital, nor sophisticated know-how.
This means that a lot can be achieved even with very modest means (see examples given in
Chapter 4). This could also be a promising area for Technical Cooperation (TC), e.g. in
promoting small and medium enterprises.
Yet another complex obstacle to using neem is the insufficient number of neem seeds for
producing pesticides. However, professional marketing, be it of raw materials or ready-formulated
pesticides, could provide a way out of this dilemma. At the same time, in those regions
with large stands of neem trees, there is the obvious opportunity of diversifying income.
SOURCE: Own studies: MOSER, G (1996): <strong>Status</strong> Report on Global Neem Usage, GTZ.
Chamberlain, J.R., Childs, F.J., and Harris, P.J.C. (1999): Results of Neem Electronic
Workshop, 1-18 November, 1999. HDRA, Coventry, UK, 67pp. & Internet-e-mail/neemworkshop
1999: www.hdra.org.uk/neem.htm
JABBAR, A. ROBIN, H. & C. STRANG 1997: A Comparison of the Effects of Azadirachtin A
on Cultured Insect and Mammalian Cells, TRIFOLIO Proceed 7 th WS, pp 5-9))
3.4 Economic Efficiency of Neem as a Pesticide
The costs of neem pesticides are mainly determined by the price of the seeds. This price can
vary greatly from one country to the next and is due to the relatively labour-intensive inputs
needed for seed collection and drying but also for any transport, storage and further processing
that might be necessary. A further important factor is the structure and efficiency of
the marketing chain i.e. the shorter the chain between collector and final processor of neem
the cheaper is the price and the better the price for the raw material. The varying availability
of seeds also contributes to price fluctuations (5, 10-12, 14, 34 -38).
Throughout those countries where neem trees are grown, the prices given for dried seeds
range between US$ 0.05 and 2.00 per kg. (5, cf. also table 3.4). The price depends very
much where the seeds are collected (farmgate, rural areas, district town, capital) and on the
quality of the seeds.
27