Impact Assessment Of Pheromone Traps To Manage Fruit Fly On Sweet Gourd Cultivation

Abstract

This paper assessed the economic benefits of managing fruit flies infecting sweet gourd using pheromones. In this study, a pheromone called Cuelure imported by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) was used for suppressing fruit fly infesting sweet gourd. Analysis of the potential benefits of farmers adopting the Cuelure technology projects that benefits over 15 years range from 187 million Taka or $2.7 million to 428 million Taka or $6.3 million, depending on assumptions. The projected rate of return on the BARI investment in pheromone research ranges from to 140 to 165 percent. The size of these returns implies that pheromone research at BARI has a high economic return and that Bangladesh benefits significantly as Cuelure becomes more widely available to farmers. Keywords: 1PM; pheromone; sweet gourd; economic impact assessment DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i2.9244 BJAR 2011; 36(2): 197-203