Preference Analysis of Dairy Products in Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal

Abstract

Milk and dairy products constitute an important source of energy and nutrients for humans. Food preferences can strongly influence the consumption of milk and dairy products, and consequently affect nutritional intake of people. The study was conducted to analyze the preferences of consumers for dairy products and factors affecting their willingness to pay more for better quality dairy products. Bharatpur metropolitan of Chitwan district was selected purposively for the study. A pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the data from 150 respondents using simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics, forced ranking, and a binary logit model were used for data analysis. Results revealed raw milk was the most preferred dairy product, followed by yoghurt, ghee, and paneer. The regression results show that education level, years of formal schooling, and the number of economically active household members have a positive and statistically significant effect on consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for higher-quality dairy products. In contrast, age is negatively associated with WTP, and female consumers are significantly less likely than male consumers to pay a premium. Nutritious value of dairy products was found to be the major determinant for purchase decision of consumers, followed by quality, freshness, and taste. Better quality standards and access to nutritious dairy products should be encouraged to promote the consumption of dairy products among consumers.