Consumers Assessment on Organically-Grown Products: A Survey in the Province of Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines

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Enrique E. Biñas Jr, Mario N. Baquiller

Abstract

Organic farming is one form of agriculture and it has been developing rapidly. The consumer’s interest and preference towards organic products have been increased nowadays. Consumers provide more attention towards organically grown products free from chemical pesticides and fertilizers so it prevents consumers from health problems. Organic products are classified as the healthiest type of product that any human being can consume and prefer for nutritional value and have a natural taste compared to conventional products. This survey was conducted to assess the consumers’ awareness,  preference, consumption, and willingness to purchase organically-grown products. A total of 105 participants were randomly interviewed from six municipalities of Zamboanga del Norte namely: (1) Tampilisan, (2) Salug, (3) Leon Postego, (4) Sindangan, (5) Manukan, and (6) Dipolog. The respondents were categorized into four regardless of age and gender such as farmers (42), professionals (20), businessmen (13), and others (students, housekeepers, drivers, unemployed, etc.) (30). A well-structured questionnaire was facilitated containing three (3) categories such as (1) consumers’ awareness on organically-grown products, (2) consumers’ preference on organically-grown products, (3) consumers’ consumption rate of organically-grown products per week, and (4) potential target market or consumers’ willingness to purchase organically-grown products.


Results revealed that most of the respondents were aware of the organically-grown products. This contributed to their willingness to purchase and thus resulted in the high amount of organically-grown products to be purchased per week. Among the respondents, the businessmen were the most aware (99%) and willing to purchase organically-grown products. Among the organically-grown vegetables, poultry products, farm animal products, and fish products, the most preferred by the respondents were okra (96%), chicken eggs (95%), pork (84%), and African hito (77%), respectively and that resulted in the amount of 46 kls, 47 trays, 57 kls, and 30 kls, respectively to be purchased per week.

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