ABSTRACT
At the official level, use of pesticides is regarded as an important strategy for managing cotton pests. However a majority of farmers in all categories of land tenure and farm size lack proper understanding of the use of pesticides. They possess little awareness of the hazards associated with careless use of pesticides. The failure of the cotton crop in 1983-84 provides evidence of the way improper use of pesticides could damage the crop. The Indus plain, comprising the provinces of Punjab and Sind covers over 99 percent of the area under cotton in Pakistan. The withdrawal of pesticide subsidies in 1980 was based on an assumption by policy makers that farmers had developed sufficient awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of pesticides. Policy makers seem to be shifting emphasis from the exclusive use of pesticides to integrated pest management.
