A Comparative Analysis of Pesticides Production, Consumption, and Foreign Trade

Koltsov, A. (1990). A Comparative Analysis of Pesticides Production, Consumption, and Foreign Trade. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-90-054

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Abstract

The production, consumption and foreign trade of pesticides are important sectors of the chemical industry in particular, and of the national economy as a whole. The pesticides sector has a positive impact on increasing crop yields and a negative effect on the environment as a pollutant hazardous to plants, humans, etc. To analyze the place and role of pesticides in the national economy, we gathered a large amount of data from sources including national and international statistical yearbooks (UN, FAO, OECD, Eurostat, National Statistical Yearbooks and Foreign Trade Statistical Yearbooks). The following pesticides data were compiled, handled and keyboarded into a PC: pesticides production 1966-1988, including production by types of pesticides (according to available data); pesticides consumption; and foreign trade (exports and imports of pesticides in value and volume).

The following data on territory, population and agricultural production were compiled, handled and used for suitable calculations and comparative analysis for the eight major producers and/or exporters of pesticides: Austria, Czechoslovakia, the FRG, the GDR, the Netherlands, Poland, the USA and the USSR (from 1966-1986): total territory; arable territory; total population; agricultural population; total cereal production; rye production; potato production; vegetable production; fruit production; total cereal yield; wheat yield; rye yield; and potato yield.

The validity of this information is determined by the data reliability taken from suitable sources. For instance, the population data in the FAO Production Yearbook were taken from the UN Demographic Yearbooks which give time series of estimates from national statistics. The data on pesticides production and consumption were compiled from National Statistics Yearbooks and National Foreign Trade Yearbooks which ensure their validity and reliability. Usually, pesticides volumes are very aggregated (in total or by large groups like herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and others), including the same components and, as a rule, are measured in identical units (thousand tons of active ingredients according to international classification), and are comparable for different countries.

With the compiled data for the period 1966-1986, the following analytical calculations were made along with a comparative analysis of eight East and West countries: share of main pesticide producers in the World and Europe; pesticides production per hectare of total and arable land; pesticides production per capita (of total and agricultural population); pesticides production per unit of agricultural production for the main agricultural products mentioned above; structure of pesticides production for the period 1966-1986 in the main pesticide-producing countries; pesticides consumption per hectare of total and arable land; pesticides consumption per capita of total and agricultural population; and pesticides consumption per unit of agricultural production for the main agricultural products mentioned above.

The following data on world foreign trade for over eighty countries over the period 1972-1986 were compiled, handled and keyboarded into a PC for analytical calculations: exports in value and volume; imports in value and volume; volumes of total exports by country; and volumes of total imports by country.

Data on world pesticides foreign trade used for calculations and comparative analysis over the period 1972-1986: share of pesticides exports in the total exports for each country; share of pesticides imports in total imports for each country; and dynamics of the pesticides export and import prices.

The results of this study suggest the following future research directions: increase in the number of countries studied in a comparative analysis; analysis of more detailed information on pesticides production and consumption (differentiated by types of pesticides, territories, plants, environmental impact, etc.); more relevant information on pesticides application efficiency based on a correlated analysis of crop yields with pesticides application by types, plants, territories, etc.; and pesticides hazard assessment, requiring more differentiated information on pesticides application norms for different plants, areas for plants, toxicity of specific pesticides in use, soil and water conditions, accumulation in plants, etc.

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