Invasions in agriculture: assessing the cost of the golden apple snail in Asia.

The golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) was introduced intentionally into Asia in 1980 with the expectation that it could be cultivated as a high-protein food source for local consumption and as an export commodity for highincome countries. It has since invaded Asian rice systems, where it is dispersed through extensive irrigation networks and feeds voraciously on young rice seedlings. This paper analyzes the economics of the golden apple snail invasion in Asia. The Philippines is used as a case study to quantify the direct, on-farm costs associated with yield loss, replanting, and snail control. The analysis shows that the cumulative (present-value) costs of the snail invasion to Philippine rice agriculture in 1990 were between USD 425 and USD 1200 mill., even without taking into account the nonmarket damages to human health and ecosystems. If this amount were invested in an effective quarantine and inspection program for nonindigenous species, similar exotic pest problems in agriculture could be avoided in the future.

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