Telangana: How the women of Algol village have been earning from neem seeds for two decades

The women have been making neem oil and neem cake. While neem oil is being used as an organic insect repellant on most crops, the cake is used as the organic fertiliser.

Sangareddy: For over two decades now, women of the Self Help Group (SHG) of Algol village in Zaheerabad mandal have been preparing organic fertilisers and pesticides and ensured an income for themselves.

The women have been making neem oil and neem cake. While neem oil is being used as an organic insect repellant on most crops, the cake is used as the organic fertiliser. The SHG women of Algol have been making the neem oil and cake for more than two decades.

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Initially, the Deccan Development Society (DDS) gave a machine to these women some 25 years ago, to encourage organic cultivation in the area. However, they stopped production for a couple of years due to various challenges. The Sangareddy district administration again extended support to these women by granting three machines four years ago. The 15 women have continued the production again for four years.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Suvarna, one of the members, said that they would buy neem seeds in Jadcherla, Tandur, and other parts of the State every year during the season. The tree would normally give fruits in July-August months. The fruits will be dried up and used for making the oil and cake. The women get orders from various parts of the State from farmers who were practicing organic cultivation.

The women would get 95 kh of cake and 5 litres of oil after crushing one quintal of neem seeds. The women were buying seeds at Rs.30 a kg. While they sell the cake at Rs 35 a kg, the 5 litres of the oil is sold at Rs 400 per litre. Each litre of oil can be used to make 200 litres of the pesticide by mixing the oil in water. The women had won laurels for their work since not many people were making these two products.

Another SHG member, Nirmalamma sought the help of the government to produce more oil, and cake around the year and market their products. She said they were now finding it difficult to mobilise funds to buy a huge amount of seeds at the beginning of every year.