An Analysis of Brand Preference and Market Share of Neem Based Pesticides in Kolar District, Karnataka

Neem is a bio-chemical factory as it contains several chemical constituents that are attributable to its miracles. It is potentially a substitute for synthetic pesticide used in crop production. The present study was conducted to know the brand preference and market share of neem based pesticides. The study was conducted in Kolar district because it is one of the important fruits and vegetables growing district in the state. The results revealed that in neem oil, T. Stanes & Co. has the highest market share (35.36 %), followed by Parry's Bio (32.04 %) and Vijaya (17.68 %). In neem cake, local neem cake has the highest market share (52.34 %) followed by Parry's bio (22.43 %) and T. Stanes & Co. (14.02 %). Neemarin brand of Biotech International was the first preference among the farmers (30 %) followed by Nimbecidine EC brand of T. Stanes Company (23.33 %) and Neemazal of Parry's Bio company (20.00 %). The main factors influencing farmers' preference for various neem based pesticides were retailers influence followed by quality and price. The major problems faced by the retailers in marketing of neem based pesticides was less demand compared to synthetic pesticides followed by slow results and lack of information about the products. From this it can be concluded that there is a great scope for creating awareness among the farmers about neem based pesticides through campaigns and field demonstrations by KVKs and State Department of Agriculture.