The Hindu Business Line : Neem meet to focus on ‘safe & health world’

Coimbatore, Nov 20 The Organising Committee of the World Neem Conference, starting here tomorrow, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the global event turns out to be a “a memorable and useful” event.

Participants from across 32 countries are expected to attend the four-day conference at The Residency.

The event, the fifth in the series was initially proposed to be held at Mauritius. “We had plans of organising it in Africa, but gave it up because of logistics problems. With support from sponsors like T. Stanes and Godrej, we decided to have it in Coimbatore,” the Managing Trustee of Neem Foundation, Ms. Pramila Thakkar, told Business Line.

The former Minister of Malaysia Dr. Sulaiman Haji Daud will inaugurate the conference, while the exposition will be kick-started by Dr. Malcolm K Wegener, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

The Foundation has embarked on a “silent revolution” to propagate the value of the neem for better health and environment. This conference incidentally would focus on “neem for a safe and healthy world”.

The Chairman of the Technical Committee, WNC 2007, Dr. B. N. Vyas, expects the annual global neem trade to touch $500 million within the next 5 years. “China is aggressive on the neem, not just in expanding the area under neem plantations but in rolling out value-added neem-based products such as hair oil, tooth paste, in medicinal preparation, fodder, cream etc. The country has grown 20 million neem trees over the past five years. There are just about 22 million in India,” he said.

India is targeting to raise another 80 million neem trees by 2015. “No Government or agency can achieve this target; it can be achieved only with the support and cooperation of the people,” Ms. Thakkar said.

Emphasising the need for joining this movement by planting one neem tree per family, she said the Foundation was in talks with the Ministry of Environment and Forest on the importance of supporting its cause to reduce global warming.

The Foundation has set up a Centre in Nagpur to train farmers on seed collection for oil extraction, preparing neem-coated fertiliser. It is also striving to put an end to farmers suicide in Vidarbha.

“We are working with several SHGs by entering into an agreement for buy-back of the neem fruit. The rates have gone up in Nagpur. It is presently quoting at Rs. 8 to Rs.10/kg of wet fruit and the seed rate is almost twice that of the wet fruit,” Ms. Thakkar said.

According to her, most seeds were available in UP, but in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka it was industry driven and these states lacked in organised collection of the seed.

“Seed collection is more organised in Nagpur belt. This season, we collected 200 tonnes/month,” she said.

The Foundation is working with an NGO in Andhra Pradesh for promoting neem in 2-lakh hectares.

The neem oil is not cheap either. It is quoting at around $13/litre in Kenya, Rs 65/litre in India and $10/ounce in the US.

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