Consumer Preferences for Organic Food in Colombo Municipal Council

Abstract

Organic farming is gaining as an environmental friendly production system with health benefits for consumers. This paper addresses Consumer preferences for Organic food in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Specifically (i) to determine the consumer awareness level, (ii) to determine the level of WTP, and (iii) to determine the most preferred attribute which affect for higher WTP for organic food in Colombo. One hundred and nine respondents were used for choice card experiment in this study. The survey included question on demographic characteristic, knowledge about organic product and attitudes toward health hazards and environmental degradation due to agrochemical application. Three different products attribute (cultivation method, availability of certification and prime price percentage) were considered. Results indicate that 81% of respondent have awareness about organic food concept. Respondents had negative attitude on non-organic food. The results suggest 85% respondents prefer to consume organic food and on average, respondents were willing to pay 34% more for organic produces. Average importance percentages indicate that the most important features are those indicating certification (44.5%), cultivation method (34%) and prime price (21.3%). Most suitable product was organically growing fresh produce with international certification and 30% prime price in Colombo. The finding of the study will be helpful to producers and sellers in assessing market potential for organic food in the Colombo.