Abstract
This study attempted to investigate the determinants of indirect health cost of pesticide use by farmers. For the purpose willingness to pay for safer pesticides is taken as indirect health cost of pesticide use. The ordered probit model has been employed on primary data collected from Tehsil Bahawalpur in Pakistan. The results revealed that health impairment index, farmer’s literacy status, number of dosage of pesticides, farmer’s age, use of safety measures, farmer’s perception about symptom and working hours have positive impact while number of doses of insecticides, farm size and use of pesticide according to the recommended dose have a negative impact on the willingness to pay for safer pesticides. Highest ratio of the farmers (38 percent) is willing to pay over and above 20% premium for safer use of pesticides to avoid health cost of pesticides. It means that farmers are bearing a high health cost by use of pesticides.