Economic assessment of cotton pesticides marketing in Tanzania: a case of insecticides in Kwimba and Meatu districts
| dc.contributor.author | Mwalukasa,Essau Elly | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-12T07:46:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-12T07:46:33Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2003 | |
| dc.description | Dissertation | |
| dc.description.abstract | In recent years, following liberalisation of agricultural inputs particularly for cotton, Co-operatives have severely reduced their pesticide procurements and private traders have apparently been uninterested in entering the market. This study aimed at systematically analysing the structure, conduct and performance of cotton insecticides marketing in the study area. The specific objectives of the study were firstly; to assess the cotton insecticides market structure in the study area. Secondly, to describe the cotton insecticides market conducts in the study area. Thirdly, to evaluate the performance and implications of the current cotton insecticide marketing on insecticide use in cotton and fourthly, to assess the determinants of insecticide use in smallholder cotton production, in the study area. Secondary data were collected from key institutions in the cotton sector. A survey was conducted on sample of 120-cotton growing farm households in the sample districts, and 33 crop-input traders in Mwanza, Shinyanga urban and peri-urban, and sample districts. The Structure-Conduct-Performance framework approach objective, seller concentration index, descriptive statistics and cross tabulation analytical methods were used. The results reveal that relatively very small proportion of imported cotton insecticide (14%) was channelled through private traders. However, a greater proportion was through the Cotton Development Fund (CDF) distribution channel (86%). The results also indicate that there was greater seller concentration of eighty six percent in favour of insecticides marketed through CDF. To address the second objective, descriptive statistics and cross was used to assess the current cotton insecticide market. To address the first iii tabulation were the main methods of analysis. Results indicate that price subsidy of about 50% was offered by CDF. Results also indicate that majority of private traders (93.3%) sold insecticides on cash basis at market prices. Correlation analysis was one method used to address the third objective, which indicated that regression model was estimated. The results from the model revealed that 10% increase in farm size under cotton during 2000/2001 season was significantly associated with 6.93% increase in amount of insecticides used by farmers (p<0.01), other factors held constant. It is therefore generally recommended from the study that incentives for private sector need to be enhanced. The Cotton Development Fund (CDF) should reorient its focus to facilitating active participation of private traders in cotton insecticide market. This may mean revisiting its current pricing policy of subsidising the cotton insecticide farmgate price, to enhance fair play and efficiency in cotton insecticides marketing. Emphasis on shift from small-scale cotton production to at least medium scale is one of the recommendations from this study. This may enable exploitation of economies of scale by farmers from using insecticides and other inputs in cotton production. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/6987 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Sokoine University of Agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Economic assessment | |
| dc.subject | Cotton pesticides | |
| dc.subject | Insecticides | |
| dc.subject | Co-operatives | |
| dc.title | Economic assessment of cotton pesticides marketing in Tanzania: a case of insecticides in Kwimba and Meatu districts | |
| dc.type | Thesis |