Cost Analysis of Biopesticides and Chemical Insecticides: Implications for Cotton Farmers in South Africa

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a significant source of income in Africa. However, production is constrained by high input costs that reduce profit margins. This study aimed to conduct a cost analysis of field trials to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical insecticides, Chlorpyrifos® 480 EC, Karate® EC, and Bandit® 350 SC compared to biopesticides, Eco-Bb®, Bolldex®, Delfin®, NOMU-PROTEC® and Bb endophyte in controlling cotton insect pests. Delfin® (US$602) was the most expensive pesticide, followed by Bolldex® (US$495.74), while the cheapest pesticide was Chlorpyrifos® (US$28). Other input costs were US$1 396.50 per hectare, with the highest labor cost of US$544. The minimal cost of production from the bollworm trial was recorded from the application of Karate® (US$1 455), while Delfin® (US$1 999) was the highest. The maximum average seed cotton yield was recorded with Bolldex® (6 402 kg ha-1); however, the maximum net profit of up to US$1 445.26 per hectare was registered with Karate® with the highest cost-benefit ratio of 1.8. The average highest seed cotton yield was obtained with Bandit® (6 394 kg ha-1) followed by Bb endophyte (6 297 kg ha-1) in the leafhopper trial. Bandit® and Karate® had the highest net profits of US$ 1,712 and US$ 1,253, respectively. The Bandit® treatment had the highest cost-benefit ratio of 2. In general, the application of biopesticides was more expensive than chemical insecticides; however, all of them were profitable.