CONSUMERS’ AWARENESS, PERCEPTIONS AND WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS: THE CASE OF RICE IN TAMALE, NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

A survey of 300 consumers was conducted in Tamale in northern Ghana to determine consumers’ awareness, perceptions and willingness to pay (WTP) for GM foods. Both the double-bounded contingent valuation method (CVM) and choice experiment (CE) were used to elicit WTP. Also, ordered probit model was used to analyze factors influencing WTP. Descriptive results indicate that GM foods do not exist in Tamale. Most consumers have heard or read about GM foods; however, the knowledge level is low on specific GM products. Also, majority of consumers in urban Tamale (56.5%) are not willing to pay more for and (30.43%) require a 20% discount to be willing to buy GM foods regardless of the benefits it seeks to offer. The conometric results showed that age, education and perceived allergies to GM positively affected WTP while religion, awareness , information from the radio, perceived nutritional benefits and perceptions of GM foods as unnatural negatively affected WTP for GM foods. Again, consumers’ are much conscious about health, nutrition and food safety and this has a direct influence on their WTP for GM foods, especially for the higher bids, hence there should be keen efforts by GM technologists to makeGM foods as safe and nutritious as possible to influence consumers’ WTP for higher bids. Biotechnologists and the whole scientific community in collaboration with government and the media should endeavor to provide the public with unbiased information that will change consumers’ negative perception about GM rice.