Perin Fitter of the UK, known as Mama Neem for her crusade in spreading awareness about the multifarious uses of the tree in tropical lands, is back in India on her annual visit, she informed Parsiana. The governments of both Gujarat and Maharashtra are backing her endeavors through their respective Social Forestry departments. During the past three years Fitter claims she has educated around 50,000 persons in Maharashtra and 19,000 in Gujarat at the village level on the use of neem for poverty alleviation.
Perin Fitter (left) with Nadir Godrej
During the Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992, Fitter received the Global 500 Award for conservation of the environment. Since she has been carrying out her work on a voluntary basis for the past 20 years, Fitter is grateful to industrialist Nadir Godrej for his personal donation of Rs 50,000 each year to cover part of her expenses.
In Kutch district Kantisen Shroff, director of the Shree Vivekanand Research and Training Institute, has been "delighted” with Fitter’s neem mission and has promised to join in her efforts to support "income generating activity through harvesting of neem seeds in May-June 2015.” Among the versatile tree’s many benefits is neem oil extracted from the seeds which is useful as a pesticide, for the safe storage of grain, and as a mosquito repellant, Fitter mentions in her write-up.