Introduction

Natural pyrethrum has been used for over 160 years in fighting pest insects. On the world market there is also synthetic pyrethrum that covers 25% of the total world need for insecticides. Therefore, the natural pyrethrum has a verified and longest safety proof compared to other major active substances for the protection of humans, plants and anaimals against pest insects.

Natural pyrethrum is not dangerous for the environment because it does not accumulate in the environment because they break down into inactive compounds when they come in touch with light and air. Pyrethrian compounds metabolize in warm-blooded beings due to the effect of enzymes. For these reasons they attract a lot of interest because they successfully fight pest insects and are not toxic for warm-blooded beings.

Why the Pyrethrum Project?

Croatia is the original homeland to pyrethrum. Back in 1920 it was one of the most important producers of pyrethrum in the world with its production of 2.000 ha. The Republic of Croatia, with its advantages (unpolluted environment and paedoclimatic) over other European countries, has a great opportunity to become a European centre of eco-agriculture and eco-tourism. This assumption is based on strategic goals of development of Croatian economy.

The objectives of the suggested project

The project has been planned in two phases, so the goals have been defined according to its development phases.

PHASE ONE

Finding and proving the assumptions of economic justifiability of growth revitalisation of pyrethrum in Croatia through setting up test fields in Solin, Poreč and Zagreb. The development of the integral study of the pyrethrum project (based on the obtained results) "Pyrethrum from seed to brand", which will give a detailed analysis of the precepts (principles), reproduction standards; and give answers to all aspects of the project, both as a whole and in detail. Once the economic justifiability is confirmed and the study developed, a consortium will be founded called "pyrethrum" that will consist of interested individuals, companies and institutions (e.g. farmers, manufacturers, scientits, salesmen, exporters, financers etc).

PHASE TWO

The consortium will define an optimal dynamics of the economic realization of the project, e.g. minimal possible growth area, permanent contracts with farmers, contracts with financers and manufacturers etc. Once the "pyrhetrum" economic project is brought back to life, it is planned to market the new Croatian technology into neighbouring countries which are traditionally suitable for that and interested in the growth of pyrhetrum.

The project will be realized with the subsidy of the Ministry of science and technology of the Republic of Croatia and in co-operation with the Institute for agriculture and tourism in Poreč.