KILIMANJARO, Aug. 18 -- FOR farmers, pest control is increasingly a business decision, with the choice of crop-protection products affecting production costs, yields, farm incomes and access to markets.

Fall armyworm can destroy between 30 and 50 per cent of maize crops, while false codling moth threatens up to 60 per cent of avocado production, according to Plant Biodefenders Limited (PBL), a Tanzanian biotechnology company developing locally produced biological agricultural inputs.

Such losses have consequences beyond the farm. They can reduce household income, undermine investment in the next planting season and limit the volume and quality of produce available for domestic and export markets.

Farmers are also facing higher input co...