TITLE:
A New Biopesticide for the Control of Fruit Flies in Organic Mango Production: An Ex-Ante Assessment of Returns to Research Using Economic Surplus Model
AUTHORS:
Boureima Tassembédo, Mathieu Ouédraogo, Karim Nébié, Pratice Toé
KEYWORDS:
Ex-Ante Impact, Research, Biopesticide, Economic Surplus, Organic Mango
JOURNAL NAME:
Technology and Investment,
Vol.15 No.1,
February
18,
2024
ABSTRACT: Nowadays, several technical and
financial partners are reluctant to support agricultural research because they
don’t perceive its impact. So, to gain the support of local
authorities and decision-makers, research scientists must bring evidence
of its financial viability. Fruit flies are a major constraint to increasing
mango productivity in Africa. However, there are other challenges as well. Research scientists have investigated several
methods to control fruit flies. This study
aims to evaluate the potential economic impact of developing a new biopesticide to control mango fruit flies in Burkina Faso. This concept’s main
idea is that the adoption of this new technology would result in higher yields
and cheaper production costs. The economic surplus model is the methodology
applied in this assessment. This concept’s main idea is that implementing better technology lowers production costs while
increasing yield. According to the
mango research findings, the net present value is calculated to be 76,740,608 US$, either 46,428,067,840 FCFA,
while the social gain is estimated to be 76,836,954 US$, either 46,486,357,170 FCFA. This investment yielded
an estimated internal rate of return of 190.54%, which is significantly higher
than the interest rates that banks charge.
Mango production would benefit from the research, notwithstanding the
scarce resources. These findings imply that funding
research on the new biopesticide would be a fascinating and financially
feasible substitute for governmental bodies. If research on bodies could benefit from more funding or financial
independence, the benefits of developing new biopesticides would be
amplified.