Abstract:
The growing demand for organic fruits and vegetables has been driven by increasing
consumer awareness of health benefits, environmental sustainability, and food safety.
This study investigates consumer preferences and willingness to purchase organic
produce in Venkalacheddikulam DS Division, Vavuniya District. A structured pretested
questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 respondents, and statistical
analyses, including multiple linear regression, were conducted to determine the
relationships between independent variables like socio demographic factors, marketing
factors, non-marketing factors and consumer willingness to buy organic produce. The
findings indicate that health benefits are the primary motivation for buying organic
products, while high prices and limited availability are significant barriers. Consumer
awareness levels indicate that 43.3oh have little awareness of organic produce, while
only 20o/o have high awareness. Health benefits (67.3%) are the main reason for
purchasing organic products, and the purchase frequency is predominantly rare (38%).
The most preferred quality product attributes is overall appearance (65.3%). The main
barrier for purchasing organic products is high prices (57.3%), followed by inegular
supply (20%). Consumer preference for organic produce stands at 59o/o, whtle 2lYo
having no preference to organic produce and20o/o opting for non-organic products. The
multiple regression model explains I9.t% of the variance in consumer preference and
willingness to buy organic fruits and vegetables, with an adjusted R-squared of 0.146,
indicating a good fit. ANOVA results indicate a statistically significant model (p :
0.000). Among the independent variables, awareness (p : 0.003), quality (p: 0.042),
and place (p : 0.002) significantly influence willingness to buy, while availability,
product, promotion, price, and gender show no significant impact. Hypothesis testing
confirms significant positive relationships between awareness, quality, and place with
willingness to buy, while availability, product, promotion, price, and gender are not
significantly related. The findings suggest businesses to focus on increasing awareness,
improving quality, and enhancing distribution strategies in order to promote organic
fruit and vegetable consumption.
