Abstract:
In the process of developing the vegetable sector in Sri Lanka, it is essential to consider the
needs, preferences and behaviour of consumers. The main objective of this study is to find
the consumer behavioural pattern and its impact on the vegetable marketing process. Due
to explanatory nature of the study both cross sectional survey method and case studies
were used. To statistically analyse the data, frequency distributions and Chi-squire tests
were used. The majority (98%) of the consumers consider the good quality of the products,
while preferring the main marketplace. The main marketplaces used by corsumers are
city/main markets (21%), polas / weekly fairs (24%), village retaiiers (20.1%), and
supermarkets (27%). The most important characteristics of vegetables for consumers are
appearance (80%), freshness (72%), and the price (68%). A large majority (79%) of the
consumers are also willing to pay higher prices for high quality products.
