1.2.1 Need for neem products for pest management

In many developing countries, it is often felt that the pressure to increase agricultural production in order to cope with the growing population has promoted the use of pesticides to protect crops from pests and diseases. The careless and indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides has led to well known problems such as environmental contamination, toxic residues, side-effects on non-target organisms, increasing pest resistance to pesticides and pest resurgence, the so-called "pesticide treadmill". The growing awareness of consumers and producers about these problems has prompted a search for a more ecologically rational approach to pest management. Thus the EU and other industrialised countries have set maximum pesticide residue limits (MRLs) for fruit and vegetable products. This has put pressure on agricultural producers to look for alternatives to synthetic pesticides, such as neem-based pesticides.