Differentiation of the economic value of pollination of apple orchards depending on the method of estimation

Abstract

. Pollinating insects are an important part of the environment. Pollination is an environmental service that affects the yield and quality of entomophilous crops and biodiversity. The aim of the study is to determine the value of pollination of apple orchards in Poland in the years 2005-2017. The following methods were used in the calculations: crop value method, dependency ratio method and replacement costs method. The results obtained using each of the methods indicate an increase in the value of pollination of apple trees during the study period. In the case of the crop value method, the tested value increased from PLN 1.073 billion (USD 0.332 billion or EUR 0.267 billion) in 2005 to PLN 2.534 billion (USD 0.671 billion or EUR 0.595 billion) in 2017, in the case of the dependency ratio method, pollination value was equal to 90 % of the value obtained by the crop value method. In the case of the replacement cost method including labour costs at the minimum wage level, the value of pollination increased from PLN 0.648 billion (USD 0.2 billion; EUR 0161 billion) in 2005 to PLN 2.837 billion (USD 0.751 billion; EUR 0.666 billion) in 2017. The highest pollination values were determined using the replacement cost method, taking into account the labour costs at the level of an average wage. These Figures increased from PLN 1.82 billion (USD 0.562 billion; EUR 0.452 billion) in 2005 to PLN 6.054 billion (USD 1.602 billion; EUR 1.422 billion) in 2017. Similar changes were noted in the case of pollination values per hectare of apple orchard. This indicates that the increase in the cultivated area was not a factor determining the increase in the global value of pollination of apple orchards in Poland. In the case of methods taking into account the value of production, the increase in pollination value over time was determined by the increase in apple prices (with significant differences between the years) and the volume of production. In the case of the replacement cost method, the increase in pollination value was influenced by an increase in wages and a gradual intensification of horticulture. pollination value. The methods used in the study give different results. However, for all methods there is a clear tendency for the pollination value to increase over time. The highest values were obtained in the case of the replacement cost method and adoption of labour costs at the level of the average wage in the Polish economy. The value obtained by this method was at least twice as high in most of the years under study as in the case of other methods. Relatively high pollination value in the years 2016-2017 was also obtained using the replacement costs method taking into account the costs of the minimum wage. This was due to an increase in the minimum wage and the gradual intensification of orchard production in Poland, which included planting density.