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Abstract
Pest populations of the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti Mat.-Ferr. (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) were reduced
successfully by the biological control agent Apoanagyrus (Epidinocarsis) lopezi De Santis (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)
throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. The economics of the project were evaluated based on data from field trials,
socio-economic surveys, published results, and financial information provided by the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA) and the national programmes. Costs and benefits for the biological control of P. manihoti were calculated
over 40 years (1974-2013) for 27 African countries, for four different scenarios, taking into account that impact by A. lopezi
and speed of the impact differ between ecological zones. A reasonable calculation considering compounded interest resulted
in a benefit cost ratio of about 200 when cassava was costed at world market prices, and of about 370-740 when inter-African
prices were considered.© 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.