4.1.5.1 Marketing of neem products to date

The project has worked in collaboration with the ICIPE Awareness Project to disseminate information on the use of neem as a pesticide and on the availability of neem products in Kenya. Thus, staff involved in the industrialisation project participated as resource persons in several training workshops organised by the ICIPE Awareness Project. Information posters and products were exhibited at the Mombasa Agricultural show and an IPM exhibition organised by the IPM Working Group in Kenya. As a result, a number of contacts were established with farmers, both as suppliers of neem seeds and as purchasers of neem products. A lot of interest arose, particularly about the neem-processing unit and the fact that neem products were locally available. The production unit was always open to visitors and samples given out for testing purposes.

Contacts were made with the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF). It was agreed that a representative of the company would attend meetings in the Central Province to advise farmers. The neem products will be made available to them through Muthama District Cooperative Union distribution network.

As soon as there were indications that the products were likely to be registered in the near future, a concerted sales effort was undertaken by Saroc Ltd. Some larger vegetable and flower growers who were producing for export were approached and samples were offered to them for evaluation. In some cases excellent pest control was achieved and sales developed slowly.