Is is true that pesticides lower food prices?

Fresh fruit and vegetables do not come cheap. But the truth is that for many people, even in rich countries, they would be almost unaffordable if farmers were to ban pesticides from their fields. Why?

In the absence of pesticides, pests and diseases can devastate harvests and seriously reduce the amount of food produce the farmer can bring to market – and with soaring prices as a result of high demand while offer is low.

But even without such disasters pesticides make our daily food affordable. This becomes very clear when we compare the price of conventional fruit and vegetables to that of so-called 'organic' crops which are more expensive due to the fact that they require more labour and produce lower yields.

A basket of fresh fruits and vegetables from conventional farming costs 6.61 euros. For the same amount from organic farming you have to pay 16.81 euros. This means that a family eating the recommended daily portions of fresh fruit and vegetables from organic produce has to pay 321.30 euros more per month than if they were to choose conventional produce.