Assessment of the Consumers’ Awareness and Marketing Prospects of Organic Fruits and Vegetables in Techiman, Ghana

Ayisaa Adams¹, Jacob K. Agbenorhevi^1, , Francis Alemawor¹, Herman E. Lutterodt¹ and Gilbert O. Sampson²

¹Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah university of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

²Department of Hospitality and Tourism, University of Education, Winneba, College of Technology Education, Kumasi, Ghana

Cite this paper

Ayisaa Adams, Jacob K. Agbenorhevi, Francis Alemawor, Herman E. Lutterodt and Gilbert O. Sampson. Assessment of the Consumers’ Awareness and Marketing Prospects of Organic Fruits and Vegetables in Techiman, Ghana. Journal of Food Security. 2018; 6(2):55-66. doi: 10.12691/JFS-6-2-2

Abstract

The consumers’ awareness and willingness to pay premium for organic fruits and vegetables as well as the marketing prospects of these organic foods in the Techiman Market of Ghana were assessed. A face-to-face interview technique was employed using a structured questionnaire for this cross-sectional study. Out of 330 questionnaires administered, 318 were valid and included in the data analysis accordingly. Results showed that most of the consumers (74.53%) were aware of organic foods and the majority willing to pay up to 50% premium for the organic fruits and vegetables. The study revealed that key factors such as age, marital status, income and knowledge of chemical residues and their associated health risks significantly influenced consumers’ choice and willingness to pay a premium for organic fruits and vegetables. The estimated market potential for the organic fruits and vegetables were GH¢3,514,383,194.70 (~926 million USD) and GH¢5,341,348,087.50 (~1407 million USD) per year, respectively. Most consumers are aware of organic foods in the Techiman market of Ghana and they became aware generally through the radio and school/books. Most of the consumers acknowledged that they had concerns about the environmental and health risks associated with chemically grown fruits and vegetables on their health and wellbeing. Almost all the consumers were willing to pay up to 50% premium for the organic fruits and vegetables purchased in the Techiman municipality.

Keywords

organic fruits and vegetables, consumer awareness, willingness to pay price premium, Logit regression analysis

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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