Plant based pesticide pious resolve, little action
the department of biotechnology (dbt) under the Union ministry of science and technology and earth science claims they are supporting coordinated research projects on development of plant-based pesticides. According to Kapil Sibal, the minister concerned, the aim is to bring out cost-effective and commercially viable formulations for use under integrated pest management (ipm).
But the fact is there has been very little contribution by the ministry in the last two decades. At present, the only plant-based pesticides available in the country are derived from Azadirachta indica (neem). There are possibilities beyond neem and experts feel that the basic thought behind the research on botanicals by dbt is faulty and does not take into account India's strength