Agricultural Economics and Development

Agricultural Economics and Development

Investigating the Preferences of Rice Consumers with Emphasis on Its Physical, Qualitative and Environmental Characteristics: A Case Study of Rasht City in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
H. Amirnejad 1
p. tonakbar 2
N. Heidari 3
Sh. Mirkarimi 3
1 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran
2 PhD Student in Agricultural Economics, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
3 PhD Student in Agricultural Economics, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran.
10.30490/aead.2020.252601.0
Abstract
Rice is a strategic crop with a strong presence in Iranian household food basket. This study aimed at investigating the consumers' preferences for rice using the choice experiment method and conditional logit model in Rasht city of Iran. The required data were collected through the 149 questionnaires completed from households in 2016. Six attributes of rice and their related levels were considered to describe the changes in rice, including size of rice grain, types of rice packaging, taste of rice, rice producing country, food safety and price attribute. The study results indicated that consumers had the most willingness to pay for local rice, so that each household in Rasht city was willing to pay 61000 IR rials per kg for the local rice. Accordingly, improving the level of education and enhancing the public awareness and knowledge of the rice attributes through the media (particularly, information on organic products and their benefits, the consequences of the use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides as well as the consumption consequences of imported rice) may contribute to support the organic and local rice while to meeting the demand and consumer preferences as well.
Keywords
Consumer Preferences
Heterogeneity of Preferences
Choice Experiment
Conditional Logit
Rice
Rasht (City)

  1. منابع     

    1. Abazari, A. (2011). Effective factors on rice consumers' preferences, case study: Mazandaran province. Master Thesis of Agricultural Economics, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University. (Persian)
    2. Abdi, F., Atarodi Kashani, Z., Mirmiran, P. and Esteki, T. (2015). Surveying global and Iranian food consumption patterns: a review of the literature. Journal of Fasa Medical Sciences University, 5(2): 159-167.. (Persian)
    3. Abebe, G.K., Bijman, J., Kemp, R., Omta, O. and Tsegaye, A. (2013). Contract farming configuration: smallholders’ preferences for contract design attributes. Food Policy, 40: 14-24.
    4. Alemu, M.H., Olsen, S.B., Vedel, S.E., Pambo, K.O. and Owino, V.O. (2017). Combining product attributes with recommendation and shopping location attributes to assess consumer preferences for insect-based food products. Food Quality and Preference, 55: 45-57.
    5. Anzaei, A. and Mehdipoor, L. (2012). Evaluation of rice performance on rural economies (case study: Gharehtoghan village, Neka city). Paper Presented at the National Conference of Rural Development, Rasht.
    6. Aoki, K., Akai, K. and Ujiie, K. (2017). A choice experiment to compare preferences for rice in Thailand and Japan: the impact of origin, sustainability, and taste. Food Quality and Preference, 56, 274-284.
    7. Banović, M., Grunert, K.G., Barreira, M.M. and Fontes, M.A. (2009). Beef quality perception at the point of purchase: a study from Portugal. Food Quality and Preference, 20(4): 335-342.
    8. Bradley, M. (1988). Realism and adaptation in designing hypothetical travel choice concepts. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, 121-137.
    9. De Rezende, C.E., Kahn, J.R., Passareli, L. and Vásquez, W.F. (2015). An economic valuation of Mangrove restoration in Brazil. Ecological Economics, 120: 296-302.
    10. De Steur, H., Gellynck, X., Storozhenko, S., Liqun, G., Lambert, W., Van Der Straeten, D. and Viaene, J. (2010). Willingness-to-accept and purchase genetically modified rice with high folate content in Shanxi province, China. Appetite, 54(1): 118-125.
    11. Denver, S. and Jensen, J.D. (2014). Consumer preferences for organically and locally produced apples. Food Quality and Preference, 31: 129-134.
    12. Enneking, U., Neumann, C. and Henneberg, S. (2007). How important intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes affect purchase decision. Food Quality and Preference, 18(1): 133-138.
    13. Fakhraei, A. and Noroozi, F. (2007). Error correction model of demand for different types of imported rice and local rice in Iran. Quarterly Iranian Economic Research, 9(30): 119-135. (Persian)
    14. Gracia, A. and de-Magistris, T. (2013). Preferences for lamb meat: a choice experiment for Spanish consumers. Meat Science, 95(2): 396-402.
    15. Hoyos, D. (2010). The state of the art of environmental valuation with discrete choice experiments. Ecological Economics, 69(8): 1595-1603.
    16. Jalili Kamjoo, S.P., Khoshakhlagh, R., Fotros, M.H. and Derakhshan, M. (2014). A new approach in estimation of regional and non-regional visitors' preferences with Zayandehrood ecosystem services: Choice Experiment-Conditional Logit. Quarterly Energy Economics Review, 10(42): 1-24. (Persian)
    17. Jalili Kamjoo, P., Khoshakhlagh, R., Samadi, S. and Kiani, G.H. (2015). Estimation of economic- protection value of Gavkhooni wetland ecosystem characteristics: Choice Experiment-Conditional Logit. Journal of Economic Research, 50(1): 99-127. (Persian)
    18. Jang, S.S., Ha, A. and Silkes, C.A. (2009). Perceived attributes of Asian foods: from the perspective of the American customers. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28(1): 63-70.
    19. Kaseb, A., Ghorbani, M., Karbasi, A. and Kohansal, M.R. (2014). Valuing the attributes of renewable energy investments in Khorasan Razavi province, Iran. Agricultural Economics, 9(4): 221-245. (Persian)
    20. Keshavarz, F., Allahyari, M., Azarmi Sesari, Z. and Khayati, M. (2010). Effective factors on non-acceptance of cultivation of high-yielding rice varieties among Guilan province farmers. Journal of Agricultural Promotion and Education, 4: 99-122. (Persian)
    21. Khodaverdizadeh, M., Khalilian, S., Hayati, B. and Pishbahar, E. (2014). Estimation of monetary value of functions and services in Marakan protected area with choice experiment method. Journal of Applied Economic Studies of Iran, 3(10): 267-290. (Persian)
    22. Lancaster, K.J. (1966). A new approach to consumer theory. Journal of Political Economy, 74(2): 132-157.
    23. Louviere, J.J., Hensher, D.A. and Swait, J.D. (2000). Stated choice methods: analysis and applications: Cambridge University Press.
    24. Lusk, J.L. and Shogren, J.F. (2007). Experimental auctions: methods and applications in economic and marketing research. Cambridge University Press.
    25. Manski, C. (1977). The structure of random utility models. Theory and Decision, 8(3): 229-254.
    26. MAJ (2014). General agricultural statistics and information. Tehran: Ministry of Agriculture-Jahad (MAJ).
    27. McFadden, D. (1974). Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behavior. Frontiers in Econometrics. New York: Academic Press, ISBN 0127761500: 105-142
    28. Myers, J.H. and Alpert, M.I. (1977). Semantic confusion in attitude research: salience vs. importance vs. determinance. ACR North American Advances.
    29. Nguyen, T., Haider, W., Stubbe Solgaard, H., Ravn-Jonsen, L. and Roth, E. (2015). Consumer willingness to pay for quality attributes of fresh seafood: a labeled latent class model. Food Quality and Preference, 41: 225-236.
    30. Owusu-Sekyere, E., Owusu, V. and Jordaan, H. (2014). Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for beef food safety assurance labels in the Kumasi Metropolis and Sunyani Municipality of Ghana. Food Control, 46: 152-159.
    31. Ramezani Amiri, H. and Bakhshodeh, M. (2011). Effect of land income changes on the pattern of rice consumption in Shiraz. Agricultural Economics Research, 3(3): 77-100. (Persian)
    32. RRI (2013). Rice self-sufficiency report, Guilan. Office of Economic Studies, Rice Research Institute (RRI). (Persian)
    33. Risius, A. and Hamm, U. (2017). The effect of information on beef husbandry systems on consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay. Meat Science, 124, 9-14.
    34. Röhr, A., Lüddecke, K., Drusch, S., Müller, M.J. and Alvensleben, R. (2005). Food quality and safety––consumer perception and public health concern. Food Control, 16(8): 649-655.
    35. Salami, H. and Kavoosi Kalashami, M. (2011). Determination of structural change in Iranian consumers preferences for rice commodity basket: WARP and KW tests. Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development, 25(1): 90-99. (Persian)
    36. Salehnia, M., Hayati, B., Ghahremanzadeh, M. and Molaei, M. (2015). Estimating the value of improvement in environmental situationof Urmia Lake using Choice Experiment. International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development (IJAMAD), 27(4): 267-276. (Persian)
    37. Samadi, S., Jalili Kamjoo, S.P., Rahimi, T. and Shirinkhah, Y. (2015). Preferences evaluation and estimation of Isfahan citizens' willingness to pay to use the clean air: conditional logit model and choice modeling approach. Journal of Urban Regional Studies and Research, 7(25): 267-276. (Persian)
    38. Sharzehei, G. and Jalili Kamjoo, S.P. (2013). Choice modeling: a new approach to valuation of environmental commodity; case study: Ganjnameh, Hamadan. The Economic Research, 13(3): 1-18. (Persian)
    39. USDA (2015). Grain: world markets and trade. Available at http://www.fas. usda.gov/data/grain-world-markets-and-trade.
    40. Useche, P., Barham, B.L. and Foltz, J.D. (2012). Trait-based adoption models using ex-ante and ex-post approaches. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 95(2): 332-338.
    41. Van Ittersum, K., Pennings, J.M., Wansink, B. and Van Trijp, H.C. (2007). The validity of attribute-importance measurement: a review. Journal of Business Research, 60(11): 1177-1190.
    42. Waldman, K.B., Ortega, D.L., Richardson, R.B. and Snapp, S.S. (2017). Estimating demand for perennial pigeon pea in Malawi using choice experiments. Ecological Economics, 131: 222-230.