2000-2001 Pesticide Market Estimates: Sales

2.1  World and U.S. Pesticide Expenditures

World pesticide expenditures totaled more than $32.5 billion in 2000 and nearly $32.0 billion in 2001 (see Table 2.1). Expenditures on herbicides accounted for the largest portion of total expenditures (more than 40%), followed by expenditures on insecticides, fungicides, and other pesticides, respectively. Total expenditures were down in 2001 due to decreased spending on all pesticide types.

U.S. pesticide expenditures totaled more than $11 billion in 2000 and 2001, in proportions similar to those of world expenditures, with a relatively larger proportion of total U.S. expenditures on herbicides (see Figure 2.1). U.S. expenditures accounted for more than 33% of total world expenditures on pesticides, more than 40% of world expenditures on herbicides, more than 33% of world expenditures on insecticides, and more than 10% and 25% of world expenditures on fungicides and other pesticides, respectively.² The Agency based its estimates of world and U.S. pesticide expenditures on the estimated pesticide expenditures and estimated changes in pesticide expenditures by type derived from public and proprietary EPA databases. See Section 2.3 for a more detailed look at U.S. expenditures on pesticides in 2000 and 2001.

2.2  Value of U.S. Pesticides: Producer Level

Table 2.2 summarizes the 2000 and 2001 average U.S. value of pesticides at the producer level, including production, import, export, and supply (total and net). Pesticide sales related to U.S. production and consumption of pesticides comprised $9.3 billion of domestic production, $1.0 billion of imports, $1.6 billion of exports, and $8.7 billion of net supply at the producer level.

2.3  Pesticide Expenditures in the U.S.: Users

U.S. expenditures at the user level for conventional and other pesticides totaled more than $11 billion in both 2000 and 2001 (see Table 2.3). The conventional and other pesticides included in the estimates are herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, fumigants, sulfur, petroleum oil, and others. The estimates exclude expenditures on specialty biocides, wood preservatives, and chlorine/hypochlorites.

Reductions in spending in the agricultural sector on all pesticide types more than offset increases in spending in the non-agricultural sectors (industry/commercial/government, home and garden) in 2001, resulting in a decline in total 2001 expenditures. Expenditures in the agriculture sector accounted for more than twothirds of total expenditures in both years. Herbicide expenditures dominated in all sectors except the home and garden sector, where insecticides comprised nearly 60% of all expenditures (see Figure 2.2). The estimated expenditures rely on the estimated changes in pesticide expenditures by sector and type provided in public and proprietary EPA databases.

2.4  Pesticide and Farm Expenditures in the U.S.

Pesticides are an important component of total farm expenditures and are integral to farm budgeting and management. U.S. pesticide expenditures in 2000 and 2001 totaled 3.9% and 3.7% of total farm expenditures, respectively (see Table 2.4). Total farm expenditures increased slightly in 2001 while pesticide expenditures declined. Total farm expenditures are based on USDA estimates and pesticide expenditure estimates from Table 2.3.