AN ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE FOR MANGO PULP IN SOUTH GUJARAT, INDIA

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1 Asian J. Dairy & Food Res.., 33 (2) : , 2014 doi: / AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE AN ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE FOR MANGO PULP IN SOUTH GUJARAT, INDIA Ruchira Shukla*, Bhavesh Chaudhari and Gayatri Joshi ASPEE Agribusiness Management Institute Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari , India Received: Accepted: ABSTRACT In order to understand the consumer demand for mango pulp and to help the mango pulp processors compete more effectively in an increasingly competitive landscape, the present study was undertaken in three districts of South Gujarat. Primary data was collected using personal interview of 150 consumers and 45 retailers. It was found that the mango pulp has demand throughout the year. The product is considered a delicacy and a specialty product offered on special occasions. The preference was found to be very dispersed as it depends upon the availability of the brands at the retail store. Major factors affecting the purchase decision by the consumers are taste, quality and mango variety of mango pulp. Key words: Brands, Consumer behavior, Preference. INTRODUCTION The market for mango pulp has been growing steadily since the 1990s and this trend is expected to continue. India is the largest grower of the most widely recognized variety of mango (Alphonso) used in pulp manufacturing. The country also dominates the world market for mango pulp with over 113,000 MT of production and a 67% share of world exports. The largest share of mango pulp (25%) goes to the Middle East, followed by Southeast Asia and North America.The European Union buys relatively small quantities, just 4% of world exports. Mango pulp is gaining in popularity in western markets simply by virtue of the fact that more and more consumers are buying fresh mango fruit and are becoming familiar with its taste. (Anonymous 2009) The world demand for mango pulp is projected to grow by 8%. (Anonymous 2005). South Gujarat is one of the important clusters of mango pulp in the country with a number of processing units in the region with a good backward linkage of Alphonso and Kesar variety of mangoes. Mango pulp is an important value added product of mango. A number of processing units have been manufacturing mango pulp and marketing it in local as well as national and international markets. The growth of mangopulp industries will bring large benefits to the people by way of employment and income. (Xavier, 2008). In order to understand the overall current market conditions, consumer demand and consumer behaviour for mango pulp to help the mango pulp processors compete more effectively in an increasingly competitive landscape, the present study was undertaken during Objectives of the study: 1) To understand the consumer behaviour of the consumers with reference to mango pulp. 2) To understand the consumers preference and factors affecting selection of mango pulp brands. 3) To assess the level of consumer satisfaction and develop insights for mango pulp marketing. METERIALS AND METHODS Three cities of South Gujarat Navsari, Valsad and Surat were selected for the study. Primary data was collected using personal interview of consumers (households) and retailers. A sample of total 150 consumers (Households) was drawn from Navsari,Surat and Valsad city with 50 consumers from each city. The family member responsible for * Corresponding author s shuklaiabm.nau@gmail.com

2 food related decision was interviewed. At the same time 15 retailers from each city were selected making a total sample size of 45 retailers. Two different Semi-structured Questionnaires were designed to collect information from the respondents. The data pertains to the year 2011.Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for the data analysis. Statistical tools like mean, frequency, and percentage were used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In order to understand the consumer behavior and preference,a survey of 150 consumers was carried out. Majority of the respondents were housewives (36.66) while % were engaged in service, % self employed, 2 % in agriculture and 10 % had their own business. Majority of sampled households had a family size less than or equal to five which means small family. Majority of the respondents were graduates (55.33%) and had secondary TABLE 1.1 Profile of the consumers Particulars No. of Respondents Percentage Occupation Housewife Service Self employed Agriculture 3 2 Business Family size Less than or equal to More than Education Illiterate 0 0 Primary 6 4 Secondary Graduation PG Annual Household income Less than 1 Lakh Between 1 to 2 Lakh Between 2 to 4 Lakh More than 4 Lakh Total Vol. 33, No. 2, 2014 TABLE 1: Factors affecting consumers selecting mango pulp according to retailers (N = 45) Factors Navsari Valsad Surat No. of Total Percentage Rank No. of Respondents No. of Respondents No. of Respondents Respondent in Navsari in Valsad in Surat Price 10 (66.66%) 9 (64.28%) 6 (40%) % 4 Quality 13 (86.66%) 9 (64.28) 10 (66.66%) 32 71% 2 Taste 13 (86.66%) 10 (71.42%) 12 (80%) % 1 Mango variety 12 (80%) 7 (50%) 10 (66.66%) % 3 Brand 11 (73.33%) 8 (57.14%) 3 (6.66%) % 5 Pack size 9 (60%) 8 (57.14%) 4 (26.66%) % 6 Total 15 (100%) 15 (100%) 15 (100%) % 99 education (24%). Majority (44.66%) consumers had annual income between 2 to 4 lakhs and % had annual income more than 4 Lakhs. Increasing income are always accompanied by a change into food basket (Gotait and Pradhan, 2006) (Table1.1). Factors affecting consumers while selecting mango pulp brand according to retailers: According to retailers engaged in mango pulp sales, Taste(78%) was found to be given highest importance by the consumers followed by Quality (71%) and Mango variety(64%). 56% of the consumers also gave importance to price while 49% and 47% consumers also considered factors such as Brand and Pack Size (Table 1). Contemporary consumers prefer to purchase the value-added processed products for various reasons viz; saving of time to cook food, less storage space in small urban houses and better presentability (Rosegrant et al, 2001). Factors affecting purchase of mango pulp according to consumers: Consumers were asked to rank the various factors from 1 to 7 in order of their importance in affecting purchase decision of mango pulp. From the above table it is evident that highest rank was given to Taste(6.05) followed by Quality(5.74), variety of mango pulp(4.68),packing si ze(3.21), brand(3.1), price(2.85) and freshness(2.78) in that order respectively. Price of mango pulp offered by various Brands is almost same. Pack size is preferred as per requirement of mango pulp and family size and occasion. Abeyrathne et al,(2006) and singh et al, (2008) also reported Taste and Quality to be the major factors affecting the selection by the consumers. M ain marketing season for mango pulp according to retailers: According to majority of retailers (51%) main marketing season for mango pulp is winters due to Diwali festival and marriages as well as other occasion during October and

3 100 ASIAN JOURNAL OF DAIRY & FOOD RESEARCH TABLE 2: Factors affecting purchase of mango pulp according to consumers (N= 150) Factors Total Score Mean score Rank Taste Quality Variety of Mango pulp Pack size Price Brand Freshness Total 1050 November months. According to 40% retailers, maximum selling of mango pulp takes place during summer season that is during fresh mango season which is interesting to note. 22 % told that there is a demand of mango pulp during rainy season too, while 27% told that mango pulp is sold throughout the year. TABLE 3: Main marketing season for mango pulp according to retailers N = 45 Main marketing season No. of Retailers Percentage Summer 18 40% Winter 23 51% Rain 10 22% Through out the year 12 27% Preferred variety of mango pulp: As shown in Table 4,Consumers most preferred variety of mango pulp was found to be Kesar and Alphonso.Almost equal preference was given to both the varieties of mango pulp. It suggests that these two variants are most popular variants in the region.anonymous (2006) reported Alphonso and Totapuri two main variants primarily used for making mango pulp. TABLE 4: Preferred Variety of Mango pulp Preferred Variety No. of Respondents Percentage of Mango pulp Kesar Alphanso Totapuri Rajapuri 6 4 Consumers most preferred brand: Consumers were asked to state their most preferred brand of mangopulp. From the study,it came out that consumers had high level of awareness and preference (29.33%) for Murohi mango pulp, which beside being a small scale unit is renowned for its quality,taste and freshness of product. The second and third most preferred brand were Swad(22%) and Casilla(20%) respectively. The preference was found to be very dispersed as it depends upon the availability of the brands at the retail store. The preference also varied in different regions due to local availability and presence of local brands in their respective regions. TABLE 5: Consumers most preferred Brand Brand No.of respondents Percentage Swad Casilla Hampa 3 2 Murohi Amidhara 14 9 Rasanand 2 1 Vadilal 4 3 Vrindavan 6 4 Desai bandhu 12 8 Occasions on which consumers make a purchase of mango pulp: According to Retailers, majority of consumers make a purchase of Mango pulp on the occasion of Diwali and other festivals like Holi, Rakshabandhan, Aloona festival, followed by occasions, like birthday, Anniversary, family functions or family pooja or on special parties, and in Marriage season. Over all it can be said that the product is considered a delicacy and a speciality product offered on special days. TABLE 6: Occasions of purchase according to consumers N= 150 Occasions No. of Respondents Percentage Festival Picnic 6 4 Parties For Guest Family function/special days Majority (74%) of the consumers consume mango pulp in the festivals season % consumers also prefer to buy mango pulp for offering it to the guests % offered for Parties, 18.66% for family functions,4% for picnics etc. Abeyrathne et al,(2006) also reported that sales of fruit juices and concentrates increase during the popular festivals. Preferred place of purchase: Majority (64.66 %) of consumers prefer to purchase mango pulp from dairy shops. Sweet and farsan shops, are second most preferred points for purchase of mango pulp. Almost equal preference is given by consumers to superstores and kirana stores for purchase of mangopulp. While 4 % consumers prepared

4 Vol. 33, No. 2, mangopulp at home and preserved and pack it for use during the rest of the year. Abeyrathne (2006) reported that most consumers preferred to purchase fruit products from ordinary retail shops. TABLE 7: Preferred place of purchase Place of purchase No. of Respondents Percentage Dairy Farsan/Sweet Shop Super store Kirana shop Co-operative Prepared by Own 8 4 Frequency of purchase: Majority consumers (78%) consumed mango pulp on special occasions suggesting it a specialty product, 31% consumers said that they consumed mangopulp once a month and 7% consumers were high frequency consumers purchasing once a week (Table 8). TABLE 8: Frequency of Purchase Frequency of purchase No. of Respondents Percentage Once a week 11 7 Once a month Stock at once in year 6 4 On special Occasions only For whom do you purchase:table 9 shows that majority (79%) of consumers said that they buy mango pulp for whole family while 74% consumers bought it for offering it to guests(74% ).21% consumers said that they buy because children in the family like it. TABLE 9: For whom do you purchase For whom do you purchase No. of Respondents Percentage Children Family Guest Preferred mode of consumption: Majority(79%) of consumers consumed mango pulp as Ras-puri.It is one of the main delicacies liked in Gujarat. 65% consumers prepared milk shakes and 41% served it with ice cream to guests while others (39%) preferred eating mango pulp with khaja (local snack) (Table 10). TABLE 10: Preferred mode of consumption How do you consume No. of Respondents Percentage As milk shake With ice-cream Ras-Puri Along with khajja Preferred pack size and Packing: Consumers most preferred (91%) pack size was 850 gm tin pack. Many consumers wanted a single use 450 gm packing which was not available in the market. 29 % consumers preferred 3.1 kg pack for parties and family functions (Table 11). TABLE 11: Preferred pack size Preferred pack size No. of Respondents Percentage 850 gm Kg Total Majority of consumers preferred tin packing as it is most available and maintains hygiene and quality. 19 % consumers preferred plastic pouch packing which they considered more convenient. While 9% consumers preferred bottle packing as made available by some local brands (Table 12). TABLE 12: Preferred Type of Packing Preferred Packing No. of Respondents Percentage Tin packing Plastic packing Bottle packing 13 9 Consumers level of satisfaction from mango pulp brand used: Consumers were asked to rate the satisfaction from their existing brand on 3 point scale. Consumers were highly satisfied with the taste and quality of their preferred brands. While consumers were moderately satisfied with the price and packaging of the product (Table 13). Quality parameters influencing consumers: Consumers consciousness towards the quality of mango pulp was also checked by asking the important quality parameters considered by consumers. The major quality factors considered by consumers were quality of mango (44%),level of preservatives(39%),hygiene(29%) and sugar content(29%).while quality certification was considered by only 6 % of consumers,2% consumers also gave importance to other quality parameters like expiry date and colour of the mango pulp (Table 14). SUGGESTIONS For mango pulp processors: 1. Small firms should improve their packaging to compete wi th the other brands in market. Companies should introduce mango pulp in small packages like 250gm and 450gm packages since number of nuclear families is increasing.

5 102 ASIAN JOURNAL OF DAIRY & FOOD RESEARCH TABLE 13: Consumers level of satisfaction from mango pulp brand used N = 107 Particulars Level of Satisfaction No. of Respondents Total score Mean score Quality High Moderate 56 Low 0 Taste High Moderate 34 Low 0 Freshness High Moderate 70 Low 12 Price High Moderate 61 Low 40 Packing High Moderate 57 Low 30 TABLE 14: Quality parameters influencing consumers Quality parameters influencing consumers Parameters No. of Respondents Percentage Sugar content Level of Preservatives Quality of Mango Hygiene maintained Quality certification 9 6 Any other Firms should go for product diversification and should introduce new products like ready to drink products, mango slices, mango pieces with other fruit pieces, mango jelly, mango role and other new products. 3. Mango pulp manufacturers should provide special promotion schemes for distribution chain and consumers during festivals and off season to increase the sales as consumers prefer purchase during special occasions. 4. There is a good demand of mango pulp in domestic market and there is an opportunity for manufactures to expand the domestic market through campaigns and product diversification. For mango farmers: 5. Farmer should prefer growing Kesar and Alphonso varieties of mango as it has more demand and provides good and assured price by mango pulp processors. 6. Small farmers should form farmer groups and can go for value addition through mango pulp processing. Policy implications: 1. Government should encouraging formation of small industries consortia or associations to formulate collective marketing and sales promotion strategies for small units. 2. The existing processing units should be strengthened by providing access to information on modern technology, packaging, markets, food laws and hygiene requirements of different markets. 3. Small firms are poor in adopting the adequate quality standards.this calls for the support and nurturing by government to help technology upgradation and to adopt HACCP and other quality certifications. 4. Government should promote the production of mango and other horticultural commodities in the region to promote the adequate supply of raw materials throughout the year for increasing capacity utilization of the firms. CONCLUSION The production and marketing of mango pulp has great potential and presents a good scope and opportunity in local and regional markets. The mango pulp has demand throughout the year. The product is considered a delicacy and a specialty product offered on special occasions. The preference was found to be very dispersed as it depends upon the availability of the brands at the retail store. The preference also varied in different regions due to local availability and presence of local brands in their respective regions.the major factors affecting the purchase decision by the consumers are taste,quality

6 and mango variety.the demand can be tapped on sustainable basis by setting up proper marketing network, maintaining taste and quality, using Vol. 33, No. 2, improved packaging and hygiene standards and processing Kesar and Alphonso varieties of mango for mango pulp. REFERENCES Abeyrathne A.H.M.S.W.B., and Hannah J. (2006). Potential for Small Scale Processing and Marketing of Tropical Fruits in the kandy, Galle and Horana Divisional Secretarial Divisions of Sri Lanka, International Centre for Underutilised Crops Anonymous (2005) A Pre-Feasibility Study on Mango Pulp Conducted by Punjab Agricultural Marketing Company, Govt. of Punjab, Pakistan. Anonymous., (2006). Diagnostic study of the MSME in the food processing cluster krishnagiri district, Andhra Pradesh, In : Cluster development in India, by Cluster Development Agent, District Industries Centre Vijaywada, Krishna District Government of Andhra Pradesh. Anonymous (2009). Chittor fruit processing cluster. A Holistic Perspective, A report of MFRC project. Anonymous (2009) Mango Pulp and Nectar Processing in Mali: A Technical and Financial Analysis for the Malian Investor A report by United States Agency for International Development and Abt Associates Inc. Golait R. and Pradhan. N.C. (2006). Changing food consumption pattern in rural India: Implication of food and nutritional security. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics 61(3): Joshua N. Daniel and Prashant A. Dudhade. (2006). Analysis of Economic Characteristics of Value Chains of Three Underutilised Fruits of India. 2006, The InternationalCentre for Underutilised Crops, Research Report No. 3. Rosegrant M.W., M. Paisner, S. Meijer and Witcover. J. (2001). Global Food Projections to Vision document, IFPRI, Washington, USA. Singh, D., Lobsang W. and Prahalad, V.C. (2008). Processing and Marketing Feasibility of Underutilized Fruit Species of Rajasthan. Report presented at IAMO Forum Singh K. P., Srivastva A.K., Srinivas, S.R.K. and Gupta, H.S. (2007). Entrepreneurship Development in Agriculture through Agro Processing Centre: A Case study of Almora District in NW Himalaya. Xavier A S. R.(2008). An economic analysis of mango pulp agro based industry in Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu Political Economy Journal of India.