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

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.