Introduction

Global food perception is rapidly changing over the time. People are now more health
conscious and place more value on healthy food. As world population is growing
rapidly over the time, to ensure food security, modern techniques are being applied in
food cultivation through using various chemical fertilizer and pesticides. As a result
the natural nutritious value is gradually disappearing from food. As a result health
conscious people have become more interested in food produced naturally without
using chemical fertilizer and pesticides to preserve that healthiness (Childs and
Polyzees, 1997; Zotos et al., 1999; Baltas, 2001; Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 2002).
Research on consumer preferences and demand for organic food is gaining
academic interest too. Majority of the studies showed that, consumers prefer organic
foods and products that has been produced in organic method (Misra et al., 1991;
Wandel and Bugge, 1997; Wilkins and Hillers, 1994). Surprisingly, organic food
concept is well known to many consumers (Roddy et al., 1996; von Alvensleben,
1998), but very few people buy organic product in regular basis (Grunert, 1993;
Wandel and Bugge, 1997; Roddy et al., 1996; Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 2002).
Organic products are obtained by processes friendly to the environment, by
cultivation techniques that consider using natural compost, fertilizers etc (Chinnici et
al., 2002). Since health awareness is increasing, increasing demand for organic food
is expected to continue in the future. It has been found that more information about
the organic food market, which increases consumers organic food knowledge, is
important because it positively influences consumers perception towards organic
food products (Briz and Ward 2009; Gil and Soler 2006).
Organic food production, as the method suggest is not new in Bangladesh. Farmers
for household consumption or general people for their kitchen garden produce foods
in organic method. But organic food in marketing perspective is still not well known to
mass people in Bangladesh. In recent days organic food is becoming popular only
among the consumers living in urban areas in Bangladesh too. Education and
awareness are some major drivers for crating demand for organic product. Thus the
well off and health conscious city dwellers are the major consumers of organic
product than rural areas in Bangladesh. This awareness compels to initiate organic
food shops like Probortana, PROSHIKA, Meena Bazar. On the other hand people
who are not aware with the concept of organic food are getting acknowledged
gradually by the promotion of these organic food shops. Organic foods can be found
there but in limited stock at a premium price which perceived by people as beyond
the capacity of general people.
Consumer perception indicates the experience about the product. On the other hand
consumer attitude can be gained through knowledge without using the product or
may be knowledge gained through experience. In this study of consumer perception
on organic food, not only the consumer perception will be discussed but also the non
user attitude or expectation will be observed too. Consumers purchase products
depending on their perceived quality expectations. The attributes of quality-nutritional
contents like safety, taste; price, environmental production processes are all valued
according to the consumers subjective perception. From a study on organic food
consumers in Bangladesh it has been observed that most of the consumers are
aware of the pesticides or chemical fertilizer usage in food production and its harmful
effect on human body and environment But the reality is, very few people know about
organic food so they have no other alternative than to take normal food (Sarker,
1

2007). On the other hand people, who are the actual consumers of organic food,
consume organic food with enthusiastically and held a very positive attitude towards
it.

Background of the Study

According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Organic food is produced by
Organic agriculture, which is a holistic production management system that avoids
use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms, minimizes
pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizes the health and productivity of
interdependent communities of plants, animals and people. To meet these
objectives, organic agriculture farmers need to implement a series of practices that
optimize nutrient and energy flows and minimize risk, such as crop rotations and
enhanced crop diversity, different combinations of livestock and plants, symbiotic
nitrogen fixation with legumes, application of organic manure and biological pest
control. All these strategies seek to make the best use of local resources. Organic
foods are produced using methods of organic farming. This is a method of farming
that works at grass root level preserving the reproductive and regenerative capacity
of the soil, good plant nutrition, and sound soil management, produces nutritious food
rich in vitality which has resistance to diseases (BOPMA, 2006). Although organic or
traditional food farming is the older form of agriculture in the world, interest in these
methods has appeared again in recent years as worldwide people are getting more
health cautious and harmful effect of consuming normal foods that uses chemicals
and pesticides for production and preservation (Hoque, 2012).
For Bangladesh, the term Organic food by organic farming is a relatively new
concept, though we are practicing it for thousands of years without noticing. Before
the revolutionary introduction of pesticides & other chemicals used for agriculture, our
farmers were practicing the method of farming foods naturally using the natural
ingredients available, which is nothing but organic food farming (Zaman, 2012). Day
by day organic food is becoming popular especially among the consumers of city
area in our country. Organic food shops like Probortana, PROSHIKA, Meena Bazar,
Agora, Nandan etc. are selling organic vegetables and other commodities for higher
income people at a higher price which beyond the capacity of general people (Mukul
et al., 2013). Very little modification is needed to make the organic products available
to the general people in a broader scale as the increasing demand for organic food is
expected to continue in the future in more extensive manner. Educated people are
trying to find sources of healthy food and thus organic food is getting popularity. In
Bangladesh where use of formalin is so wide spread and harmful chemicals to
produce food is a common practice, organic food is now a crying need. People who
are aware of organic food have become consumers, people who are not aware, still
trying to find a source of safe food. Since organic food availability and awareness is
not mass spread, very small percentage of people are now consuming organic food.

Literature Review
Now a day Organic food is a familiar word among us and we all are using the word
organic farming. Health concern appears as the most important reason for
purchasing and consuming organic food (Tregear et al., 1994; Huang, 1996;
Schlegelmilch et al., 1996; Wandel & Bugge, 1997; Alvensleben, 1998; Magnusson
et al., 2001; Padel & Foster, 2005). Previous experience with organic food seems
also to positively affect attitudes towards organics (Roddy et al., 1996). The socio2

demographic profile seems to affect consumer attitudes and buying behavior towards
organic food. Organic food attitudes are mainly influenced by gender, age, income,
level of education and the presence of children in the household (Davis et al., 1995;
Wandel & Bugge, 1997; Thompson & Kidwell, 1998; Magnusson et al., 2001; Wier et
al., 2003). In general, the intention to purchase organic decreases with a limitation of
knowledge and awareness towards those products, with many factors effecting
consumers perceptions and attitudes. Consumers decide whether to buy or not
based on three main aspects: knowledge, attitude, and intention (Aryal et al. 2009).
Consumers knowledge is a construct that effects how and what consumers decide to
buy. Peoples knowledge is affected by the type and quality of information made
available to consumers. Advertisements, processing, awareness of certifications and
labels, all play a pivotal role in knowledge enrichment. Thus, knowledge and
awareness are critical in the consumers behavior.
Demography is especially of interest to marketers as it is important to see how
population is changing in number and distribution of gender, age and other
demographic characteristics and variables. Family structure, marriage and education,
income level of individual counties also have effects on consumption habits. In
particular, organic food buyers tend to be older than non-buyers (Jolly, 1991).
Overall, more positive attitudes towards organic food have been detected in women
as opposed to men (Lea & Worsley, 2005). Education has also been reported as a
significant factor affecting consumer attitudes towards organic food products. People
with higher education are more likely to express positive attitudes towards organic
products; require more information about the production and process methods of
organics (Magnusson et al., 2001; Hill & Lynchehaum, 2002; Wier et al., 2003).
Higher income households are more likely to form positive attitudes and to purchase
more organic food as they are a bit expensive compared to regular food product
(Grunert & Kristensen, 1991; Magnusson et al., 2001).
There have been a considerable number of studies on organic consumers in many
countries, especially in South Asia. Concern for health, environmental protection,
concern for the chemical residues in conventional food products, pesticides,
nutritional concern, as well as improved taste and flavor in organic food products are
some of the factors identified in this region (Storstad and Bjorkhaug 2003; Voon,
Ngui, and Agrawal 2011; Sangkumchaliang and Huang 2010). Consumers attitudes,
in particular towards the health attributes and towards the environment, are the most
important factors that explain consumers decision-making processes for organic
food products (Tsakiridou et al. 2008; Lea and Worsley 2005; Roitner-Schobesberger
et al. 2008; Magistris and Gracia 2008). Moreover, it has been found that more
information about the organic food market, which increases consumers organic food
knowledge, is important because it positively influences consumers attitudes towards
organic food products (Briz and Ward 2009; Gil and Soler 2006).
It is generally recognized that there are also numerous barriers to the diffusion of
environmentally friendly products, such as organic food. A major repercussion in
buying organics is the higher price compared to conventional food product prices
(Jolly, 1991; Tregear et al., 1994; Roddy et al., 1996). Moreover, it is often suggested
that organic products have limited availability (Jolly, 1991; Tregear et al., 1994;
Roddy et al., 1996; Wandel & Bugge, 1997). Worner & Meier-Ploeger (1999) also
mention doubts on the product guarantee, lack of promotion and unclear declarations
of the organic status.

Organic food is becoming popular among the consumers of city area of Bangladesh.
Against the backdrop of a campaign against adulterated food during the past few
years, many people are opting for food that are not produced or processed artificially,
tainted with toxic chemicals that pose grave danger to the public health (The Daily
Star, Shanaz Parveen, 2008). In the beginning only customers we had were our
friends. It took a long time to make the public aware about the benefit of ecological
agriculture and organic food. We now have many regulars who prefer safe food," said
Shahid H Shamim, director of Prabartana. But as mentioned earlier the costs of
organic foods are higher than the conventional products and are not affordable for
the poor. Organic products still has limited customers, so production volume is very
low, which eventually increases production cost. (The Daily Star-Report, 2010).
Since couple of years, different private chain departmental stores (like Agora,
Minabazar, Nandan etc.) are selling organic vegetables, at higher prices for the
higher income people.

Rationale of the Study

As world population is increasing rapidly over the time, to produce more food in
relation to that new and strong chemical fertilizers is being applied in food production
which also comes with long term side effect. As a result globally health
consciousness is rapidly spreading and healthy food is being highly valued. Thus
health conscious people have become more interested in food produced without
using chemical fertilizer and pesticides to preserve that healthiness which can be get
from organic farming, which are organic food.
In Bangladesh farming using cow dung and other homemade fertilizer is not new
(Zaman, 2012). But the term organic farming is still not widely spread to mass people
(Uddin & Halim, 2012). In this era organic farming for organic product is a crying
need. But whether it will be successfully widely practiced or not that depends on how
Bangladeshi market receives organic product. It is important to know customers
perception about organic product. At the end of the day customers are the one who
will decide whether or not to buy an organic product over a regular product. If we
know customers perception about organic product, it will be easier to analyze what is
the condition of organic food market in Bangladesh.
For Bangladesh, market share of organic food is still too small in percentage, which
is nearly .01 percent (IFOAM, 2010). Bangladesh has not yet appeared significantly
in organic food market. That is why country wise availability and awareness is still not
as much of. On the other hand food market of Bangladesh in general is very
unhealthy and unsafe. People are looking for safe and healthy food and in response
to that organic food source has appeared but in a very insignificant number. Now is
the time to observe what the consumers think about the organic food in Bangladesh.
To have some formalin and chemical free food, people are accepting organic food.
Whether they are satisfied or not, what are the other peoples attitudes or
expectations who are not buying organic food, what may convert them non-consumer
to consumer, which is to be determined from this study.

Objective of the Study

The principal aim of the study is to understand consumer product knowledge and
motivations with regards to organic food. Besides, the study aims at evaluating and
connecting product knowledge or expertise and product experience, as relevant
4

determinants of the consumer information base (Peter et al., 1999, p. 226). By

comparing the level of experience and information of consumers with the number and
length of the ladders, the study aims to understand to what degree and how
consumers perceives about organic food.
Main objective of this study is to study find out the consumer perception about
organic food. What are the things that the consumer perceives positively about
organic food in Bangladesh? And also determine what are the attributes or organic
food that still needs development. In case of non consumers also, it will be
determined that what are their attitude regarding the present organic food market and
also what do they expect from the Bangladeshi organic food. Throughout the whole
research paper we will try to find out customer perception about organic product in
Bangladesh by studying the existing research work and also conduct primary
research to do that.
The intention of this study is generally to comprehend the outlook of local consumers
on their target towards buying organic food product. These consumers are among
those who have experience consuming or buying organic products and those who
never purchase any organic products.

Methodology
Types of DataTo perform and prepare this research report both primary and secondary data have
been used.

Data Collection ProcedureFor primary data, a survey has been conducted on a representative sampling of 30
respondents about their perception of organic products in Bangladesh. To do that a
questionnaire with different types of questions was designed so as to get a range of
useful data which has helped us to continue further in this research.
For secondary data, the resources of the library and the web books and articles,
newspapers, journals, standard references sources and databases, government
documents, media and academic web-sites, etc. have been used.

Data Analysis & PresentationFor analyzing primary data, we have used MS Excel to present those data in table
format along with graphical representations for better understandings & clarity. We
have also interpreted our research findings from survey data analysis. We have used
SPSS software to do some cross-tabulations in order to find out the relationships
5

between various types of data findings and discussed our analysis results along with
recommendations later on.

Findings & Analysis of Survey Data

GenderGender
Male

27%

Female

22

73%

Total

30

100%

Gender
Male
27%

Female

73%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, it is shown that among all 30 respondents, 27% were
Male and 73% were Female.

AgeAge
25-30 years

27%

31-35 years

12

40%

36 to above years

10

33%

Total

30

100%

Age
25-30 years
27%

33%

40%

31-35 years
36 to above
years

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, it is shown that among all 30 respondents, 27% people
were from 25-30 years, 40% from 31-35 years and 33% from 36 to above year age
group.

Income (Monthly)Income (Monthly)

Less than 10,000tk

7%

10,000-30,000tk

11

37%

More than 30,000tk

17

57%

Total

30

100%

Income (Monthly)

Less than
10,000tk

7%

10,000-30,000tk
57%

37%

More than
30,000tk

Interpretation:

In the above figure & table, it is shown that among all 30 respondents, 7% peoples
monthly income was less than 10,000tk, 37% peoples was in between 10,00030,000tk and 57% peoples was more than 30,000tk.

Level of EducationLevel of Education

SSC/O-level

3%

HSC/A-level

3%

Honors/BBA

12

40%

Masters/MBA

16

53%

Total

30

100%

Level of Education
SSC/O-level

3%
3%

HSC/A-level
Honors/BBA

53%

Masters/MBA

40%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, it is shown that among all 30 respondents, 3% were from
SSC/O-level, 3% were from HSC/A-level, 40% were Honors/BBA graduates and 54%
were Masters/MBA graduates.

1. What is your perception about the food system of

Bangladesh?

Safety of the Food system of BD

Very safe

0%

Safe

7%

Neutral

20%

Unsafe

30%

Very unsafe

13

43%

Total

30

100%

Safety of the Food system of BD

50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

43%

30%
20%

7%

Very
0%
safe

Safe

Neutral

Unsafe

Very unsafe

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked about their opinion regarding
the level of the food system of Bangladesh. Among 30 respondents, 0% means no
one said that its very safe, 7% said safe, 20% were neutral, 30% said unsafe and
43% said very unsafe.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents think that the food system of
Bangladesh is very unsafe.

2. Do you know about Organic foods?

9

Knowledge about Organic Food

Yes

27

90%

No

10%

Total

30

100%

Knowledge about Organic Food

10%
Yes
No

90%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked that do they know about organic
food or not. Among 30 respondents, 90% said yes, they know about organic food and
10% said no, they dont know anything about organic food.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents knows about organic food.

As this survey was mainly on the perception of people about organic food in
Bangladesh, we decided not to count those 10% peoples opinion anymore as
10

they werent able to answer the questions properly due to not even ever
knowing about organic food and from now onwards; the rest of the survey was
done only on those 27 respondents (90%) who atleast had minimum knowledge
about organic food to answer the further questions.

3. If your answer for previous question (ques.2) is Yes, then

from which source you knew about Organic foods?

Source of Information about Organic Food

TV, Newspaper, Radio etc.

0%

Friends & Family (Word of Mouth)

19%

Internet

7%

Direct from shops

20

74%

Total

27

100%

Source of Information about Organic Food

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%0%
10%
0%

74%

19%

7%

11

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked that from which source they
came to know about organic food. Among 27 respondents who knew about organic
food, 0% means no one said from TV, Newspaper, Radio etc., 19% said from Friends
& Family (Word of Mouth), 7% said from Internet and 74% said from Direct from
shops.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents came to know about organic
food from direct from shops.

4. Have you ever bought any Organic foods?

Buy Organic Food

Yes

11

41%

No

16

59%

Total

27

100%

12

Buy Organic Food

41%

Yes
No

59%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked that have they ever bought
organic food or not. Among 27 respondents who knew about organic food, 41% said
yes, they have bought organic food and 59% said no, they have never bought
organic food.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents has never bought organic
food.

5. If your answer for previous question (ques.4) is Yes, then

from which factor attracted you the most to buy Organic
foods?

Reasons of buying Organic Food

Safety (No use of Formalin, harmful Fertilizers & Pesticides etc.)

55%

Freshness

18%

Nutritious

18%
13

Tasty

9%

Total

11

100%

Reasons of buying Organic Food

9%

Tasty

Nutritious

18%

Freshness

18%

Safety (No use of Formalin, harmful Fertilizers & Pesticides etc.)

0%

55%
20% 40%
60%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked that which factor attracted them
the most to buy organic food. Among 11 respondents who bought organic food (found
from data of previous question no. 4), 55% said Safety (No use of Formalin, harmful
Fertilizers & Pesticides etc.), 18% said Freshness, 18% said Nutritious and 9% said
Tasty.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents were attracted by the Safety
(No use of Formalin, harmful Fertilizers & Pesticides etc.) factor while buying organic
food.

6. According to you, in which place Organic foods are

available mostly?

14

Places of availability for Organic Food

Kacha Bazar

7%

High-branded Super stores (Agora, Nondon, Shopno etc.)

19

70%

Normal/Non-branded Super stores (superstores of various local area

corners etc.)

22%

Total

27

100%

Places of availability for Organic Food

22%

Normal/Non-branded Super stores (superstores of various local area corners etc.)

70%

High-branded Super stores (Agora, Nondon, Shopno etc.)

Kacha Bazar

7%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked about the places where they
think organic food is mostly available. Among 27 respondents who knew about
organic food, 7% said in Kacha Bazar, 70% said in High-branded Super stores
(Agora, Nondon, Shopno etc.) and 22% said in Normal/Non-branded Super stores
(superstores of various local area corners etc.).
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents thinks that organic food are
mostly available in High-branded Super stores (Agora, Nondon, Shopno etc.).
15

7. Do you agree that Now-a-days Organic foods are available

in superstores in a large-scale amount of quantity?

Amount of availability for Organic Food

Strongly agree

4%

Agree

7%

Neutral

33%

Disagree

12

44%

Strongly disagree

11%

Total

27

100%

Amount of availability for Organic Food

50%
40%

44%
33%

30%
20%
10%
4%
0%
Strongly agree

7%
11%
Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly disagree

16

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked to what extent they agree that
Now-a-days Organic foods are available in superstores in a large-scale amount of
quantity. Among 27 respondents who knew about organic food, 4% strongly agreed,
7% agreed, 33% were neutral, 44% disagreed and 11% strongly disagreed.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents thinks that Now-a-days
Organic foods are not available in superstores in a large-scale amount of quantity.

8. How frequently do you buy Organic foods?

Frequency of Buying Organic Food

Very frequently

9%

Occasionally

36%

Rarely

55%

Total

11

100%

17

Frequency of Buying Organic Food

60%

55%

50%
40%

36%

30%
20%
9%
10%
0%
Very frequently

Occasionally

Rarely

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked about how frequently they buy
organic food. Among 11 respondents who bought organic food (found from data of
previous question no. 4), 9% said very frequently, 36% said occasionally and 55%
said rarely.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents bought organic food rarely.

9. What is your opinion regarding Organic foods pricing in

Bangladesh?

Pricing of Organic Food in BD

Very high

33%

High

11

41%

Moderate

26%

Low

0%
18

Very low

0%

Total

27

100%

Pricing of Organic Food in BD

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

41%
33%
26%

Very high

High

Moderate

Low
0%

Very0%
low

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked about their opinion regarding
organic foods pricing in Bangladesh. Among 27 respondents who knew about
organic food, 33% said very high, 41% said high, 26% said moderate and 0% means
no one said low or very low either.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents thinks that the pricing of
organic food in Bangladesh is high.

10. If the price of Organic foods is reduced, then will you

consume it more frequently?

19

Increasing Frequency of buying Organic Food if Price reduced

Yes

73%

No

27%

Total

11

100%

Increasing Frequency of buying Organic Food if Price reduced

27%
Yes
No

73%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked that whether they will increase
their frequency of consuming organic food is the price is reduced or not. Among 11
respondents who bought organic food (found from data of previous question no. 4),
73% said yes, they will consume organic food more frequently if price is reduced and
27% said no, even if the price is reduced, they wont increase their frequency of
consumption of organic food.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents are willing to consume
organic food more frequently if price is reduced.

20

11. When you buy organic foods, do you check the special
certification mark used only for Organic products to ensure
its quality & safety?

Checking Special Certification Mark while buying Organic Food

Yes

27%

No

73%

Total

11

100%

Checking Special Certification Mark while buying Organic Food

27%
Yes
No

73%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked that whether they check or not
the special certification mark used only for Organic products to ensure its quality &
safety before buying. Among 11 respondents who bought organic food (found from
21

data of previous question no. 4), 27% said yes, they check the special certification
mark used only for Organic food before buying and 73% said no, they do not check
the special certification mark used only for Organic food before buying.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents do not check the special
certification mark used only for Organic food before buying.

12. According to you, how trustworthy is Organic foods of

Bangladesh?

Trustworthiness of Organic Food in BD

Very trustworthy

4%

Trustworthy

19%

Neutral

16

59%

Untrustworthy

15%

Very untrustworthy

4%

Total

27

100%

22

Trustworthiness of Organic Food in BD

59%
60%
50%
40%

19%

30%
20%

15%

4%

4%

10%
0%

Interpretation:
In the above figure & table, respondents were asked about the trustworthiness of
organic food in Bangladesh. Among 27 respondents who knew about organic food,
4% said very trustworthy, 19% said trustworthy, 59% were neutral, 15% said
untrustworthy and 4% very trustworthy.
So, it can be said that majority number of respondents thinks that organic food in
Bangladesh is neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy; its in a neutral position.

Cross-tabulation Analysis
Gender & Buying decision of Organic food-

23

Gender * Bought Organic Food

Bought Organic Food

Gender

Yes

No

Missing

Total

Male

Female

11

22

11

16

30

Total

The above table illustrates the cross tabulation analysis between Gender and buying
decision of Organic food. As the data suggest, the respondents who have actually
bought organic food atleast for once (11 people) are mostly female (9 female, 2
male). So, it can be said that among the respondents, more females bought organic
food than males.

Age & Buying decision of Organic foodAge * Bought Organic Food

Bought Organic Food

Age

Total

Yes

No

Missing

Total

25-30 years

31-35 years

12

36 to above years

10

11

16

30

The above table illustrates the cross tabulation analysis between Age and buying
decision of Organic food. As the data suggest, the buyer respondents of organic food
(11 buyers) are mostly bit aged or older (5 people from 31-35year age group & 4
people from 36 to above age group) than the non-buyer respondents. So, it can be
said that among the respondents, bit older people mostly bought organic food.

Level of Education & Buying decision of Organic food-

24

Level of Education * Bought Organic Food

Bought Organic Food

Level of
Education

Yes

No

Missing

Total

SSC/O-level

HSC/A-level

Honors/BBA

12

Masters/MBA

16

11

16

30

Total

The above table illustrates the cross tabulation analysis between Level of Education
and buying decision of Organic food. As the data suggest, among the buyer
respondents of organic food (11 people) highly educated people were more in
number (5 Honors/BBA graduates & 6 Masters/MBA graduates). So, it can be said
that highly educated respondents bought organic food mostly.

Income (Monthly) & Buying decision of Organic foodIncome (Monthly) * Bought Organic Food
Bought Organic Food

Income
(Monthly)

Total

Yes

No

Missing

Total

Less than 10k

10-30k

11

More than 30k

10

17

11

16

30

The above table illustrates the cross tabulation analysis between Income (Monthly)
and buying decision of Organic food. As the data suggest, among the buyer
respondents of organic food (11 people) majority (10 people) are from higher income
group (earning more than 30k monthly). So, it can be said that mostly the higher
income respondents bought organic food.

Pricing of Organic food & Buying decision of Organic food-

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Pricing * Bought Organic Food

Bought Organic Food

Pricing

Total

Yes

No

Total

Very high

High

11

Moderate

Low

Very low

11

16

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The above table illustrates the cross tabulation analysis between Pricing and buying
decision of Organic food. As the data suggest, the respondents who said that the
pricing is moderate (7 people) all of them have actually bought organic food (from the
11 buyer respondents). So, it can be said that the actual buyers think that the price of
organic food is moderate in Bangladesh.

Discussion of Results
From the overall findings and analysis of survey data along with the cross-tabulation
analysis, we have got some specific information regarding the perception about
organic food in Bangladesh which we are going to relate with our secondary data
findings below We have identified that there is a lack of information availability about
organic food in mass-media of Bangladesh. From our survey data we found
that the majority number of respondents who know about organic food got the
information direct from shops and it was shocking that no people got any
information about organic food from TV/Newspaper etc. Because of which not
that much people are getting attracted to buy organic food. Our secondary
findings also justify this like In general, the intention to purchase organic
decreases with a limitation of knowledge and awareness towards those products,
with many factors effecting consumers perceptions and attitudes. Consumers
decide whether to buy or not based on three main aspects: knowledge, attitude,
and intention (Aryal et al. 2009).
We have found from the cross-tabulation analysis that highly educated
respondents bought organic food mostly which can be justified with our
secondary finding, People with higher education are more likely to express
positive attitudes towards organic products; require more information about the
production and process methods of organics (Magnusson et al., 2001; Hill &
Lynchehaum, 2002; Wier et al., 2003).

26

 We have found that majority numbers of respondents were attracted by the

Safety (No use of Formalin, harmful Fertilizers & Pesticides etc.) factor
while buying organic food. The other factors that also attracted their buying
behavior for organic food were freshness, nutritious and tasty which are actually
reflecting our secondary findings like Concern for health, environmental
protection, concern for the chemical residues in conventional food products,
pesticides, nutritional concern, as well as improved taste and flavor in organic
food products are some of the factors influencing buying behavior of people
identified in this region (Storstad and Bjorkhaug 2003; Voon, Ngui, and Agrawal
2011; Sangkumchaliang and Huang 2010).
We have found that majority number of respondents thinks that Now-a-days
Organic foods are not available in large-scale rather than only in some
high-branded superstores even in limited amount of quantity and they also
think that the pricing of organic food in Bangladesh is high. Our secondary
research also says that Since couple of years, different private chain
departmental stores (like Agora, Minabazar, Nandan etc.) are selling organic
vegetables, at higher prices for the higher income people (The Daily Star-Report,
2010). Even though
We have identified a misconception about pricing of organic food in
Bangladesh. From cross-tabulation analysis we found that mostly the higher
income respondents bought organic food which can be justified with our
secondary finding, Higher income households are more likely to form positive
attitudes and to purchase more organic food as they are a bit expensive
compared to regular food product (Grunert & Kristensen, 1991; Magnusson et al.,
2001). But from another cross-tabulation we also found that the actual buyers
think that the price of organic food is moderate in Bangladesh which is
contradicting the previous statement. Here the real scenario is like that usually
the high income people are buying organic food for whom the price is moderate
as they can afford that but the non-buyers are mostly finding the price high as
they are from low/middle income people who cant afford that.
We have found that majority number of respondents (59%) trustworthiness for
organic food in Bangladesh is in a neutral position. But at the same time, we also
found that majority number of respondents (73%) do not check the special
certification mark used only for Organic food before buying. So, the actual
situation is that although most of the people are saying that they are not sure
about the trustworthiness of organic food of Bangladesh, they are in reality not
even bothering to check the certification mark which might create trust among
them, because of which the confusion about trustworthiness is remaining as
it is in their mind.
We have found from the cross-tabulation analysis that among the respondents,
more females bought organic food than males which can be justified with our
secondary finding, Overall, more positive attitudes towards organic food have
been detected in women as opposed to men (Lea & Worsley, 2005).
We have found from the cross-tabulation analysis that among the respondents,
bit older people mostly bought organic food which can be justified with our
secondary finding, In particular, organic food buyers tend to be older than nonbuyers (Jolly, 1991).
27

Recommendations
From the survey analysis of consumer perception what can be considered as the
most significant short coming of organic food product market in Bangladesh is lack of
awareness. A significant number of people in Bangladesh do not know about organic
food in Bangladesh. People who know, majority got to know it from shops directly.
There is no media coverage for organic food. Thus it is very important to create
awareness about organic food product. Also it is necessary to improve the level and
quality of information through materials ranging from simple leaflets up to Web sites
and comprehensive information campaigns.
Lack of information and transparency about organic food is also present. Surveyed
people are said to lack trust on organic food authentication in Bangladesh. To remove
this confusion consumers need to be provided information about organic product and
farming and also the market through market studies, market intelligence and
business directories, published for free access on paper and on the Internet.
There need to be a strong certification policy for organic food in Bangladesh.
Consumers also need to be made well aware of that certification. At present
knowledge about certification is not clear in Bangladesh at mass level. Consumers
and also non consumers still remain confused about the authentication of organic
food in. To overcome that confusion certification needs to be clear and transparent.
Another problem is availability. Still now organic food supply is not widely available.
Only in some few numbers of super stores like Meena Bazar, Probortona etc, organic
food can be found. This inadequate supply discourages people to buy organic food.
Few consumers buy organic food frequently and rarely non consumers convert to
consumers. If organic food has been made available then the frequency of
consumption and acceptance rate could have been increased.
Pricing is another major factor for organic food consumption. In this survey it has
been seen that, the real consumers perceived the current organic food pricing to be
moderate. On The other hand, people who do not buy organic food normally, thinks
the price of organic food to be very high. So between consumer and non consumer
there is a major price misconception. It indicates that consumers really value what
they are getting from organic food and thus are paying high price for the organic
food. But for the non consumers, it has been seen that most of the people agreed
that if the price has been lower, they would have start consuming organic food. Since
organic food availability is less, reason for high price is understood. So to attract the
non consumer, organic food producer should increase availability and then reduce
price to grab the non consumer segment.
Implications and directions for further research The results demonstrate that the most
important criteria affecting consumers attitudes and buying behavior are health and
environmental issues as well as production and price considerations. Level of
awareness, availability and visual quality and performance seem also to have an
effect in consumers attitudes and purchasing patterns. With respect to organics
performance, quality has been identified as the single most important attribute. A
quality improvement and a smaller price differential between conventional and
organic foods would seem to be essential in order to increase the proportion of
regular organic food buyers.

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Limitations of the Study

The major limitation factor for this report is the complexity of the topic. Since the
survey was conducted among both users and non users of organic food, it was
challenging to make them understand about the questions and the options
especially to the non users. Yet the nature of the topic required the questionnaire
to be designed in such a way that it extracts information as much as possible
indented. It was tough to design the questionnaire in such way as this topic was
very unusual.
Time limitation was also one of the barriers.
Last but not the least; it wont be possible to obtain 100% accurate data since the
survey was done on a set of sample, not the entire population.
Also unwillingness to participate in the survey was a big obstacle.

Conclusion
Organic food product market is not big in Bangladesh. Consumer base is still
evolving. Very few people are loyal consumers and very hard to find. Among the
irregular consumers perception on organic food is still not very promising. Most
people to find an alternative of chemical free food product buy organic food once in a
while. But the message and purpose of organic food has still not reached everyone in
the country. So much awareness needs to be created along with availability, whereas
due to lack of awareness and also high price other people hesitate to convert to
organic food consumer. The market base needs to be strong first to make the
consumer base strong. Proper education and awareness and market development
can bring a positive perception toward organic food.

29

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