Boll weevil increases cotton production cost in Brazil‏

Brazilian cotton growers saw a cost increase of 38.5% per hectare due to insecticides applications to control the Boll weevil. The data was revealed by the AMIS Cotton Panel, held by the Kleffmann group.

 

According to the study, the investment for cultivation protection jumped from US$ 50.02 (in 2012) to US$ 80.39 in the 2013/2014 season. The number of applications jumped 16.5% - increased from an average of 7.9 during the last crop to 9.2 this season. The average spending of producers to control pests reached R$ 1,600 per hectare, which represents nearly 32% of the total production cost.

 

On the other hand, the cost of products applications to remove other pests in general reduced by 18.55%. The Amis research pointed out that farmers spent US$ 333.96 per hectare for insecticides compared with US$ 410.01 last year. "This is due to the adoption of biotechnology, which led producers to stop applying specific products to control caterpillars with high costs. Another factor was the reduced number of spraying, decreased from 17 last year to 15.6 in this season," pointed out by the consultancy.

 

"Even though there is an effort of chemical control, the losses generated by the main pests over crop (boll weevil, corn earworm, whitefly), including the application costs, reached to R$ 2,700 per hectare for cotton in Brazil," said José Ednilson Miranda, entomology research at Embrapa cotton unit.

 

Embrapa has warned the population increase of Boll weevil. "Areas with timely adequate control saw a constant, low population levels, being those areas with low prevalence of the insect. On the other hand, areas where there is an inadequate management, a high population density is seen, characterized as a zone of high prevalence," explained Miranda.