Consumer Preference and Willingness to buy Organic Fruits and Vegetables in Venkalacheddikulam DS Division, Vavuniya District

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.