Consumers' Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Organic Vegetable in Benin and Ghana

Vegetable plays important roles in the socio-economic development in West Africa. It contributes to insuring food security, provides raw materials for local industries, generates foreign exchange and provides employment and incomes for most of the population. However some health hazards are caused by the misuse of chemical on vegetable. This study is undertaken within the framework of the research project: Public-private partnerships for development and implementation of entomopathogenic viruses as biopesticides for key lepidopteran pests in Ghana and Benin. It assesses the potential market of organic vegetables and analyse consumers awareness and perceptions of chemical pesticide residues in vegetables and assess the premium levels that consumers are willing to pay for chemical free vegetables. Data were collected through a formal questionnaire on consumers perceptions of produce quality problems, their level of awareness of heavy chemical pesticide use on vegetable and their willingness to pay for a vegetable if it is chemical free. A Hedonic-pricing model was used to identify the key factors most likely to affect consumers willingness to pay for bio-vegetables. The results show that consumers are aware of the heavy use of chemicals on vegetables. The level of awareness of health hazard linked to chemical pesticides among consumers is more widely spread. The characteristics that consumers are looking for in assessing the quality of vegetable are: damage free, freshness, size, bright colour and hardness. Consumers are willing to pay more than 50% as price premium for chemical free vegetable. The most likely factors influencing consumers willingness to pay for chemical free vegetable are the socio-professional category acting as a proxy for income level, the awareness of chemical residue, the availability, the label and the taste. In conclusion, this study showed that there is a consistent potential demand for organic vegetables if they meet characteristics above mentioned.