Application of Conjoint Analysis for Consumer Preference Evaluation in Ragi in Karnataka

Objectives: Conjoint Analysis is a statistical technique where respondents ranked preferences for different offers decomposed to determine the person’s inferred utility function for each attribute and the relative importance of each attribute. The present study was attempted to evaluate the consumer preference for ragi in Karnataka, India.

Methods/Statistical analysis: The required data was collected from 120 sample respondents from Bengaluru and Vijayapura districts, respectively using structured interview schedule for the selection of attributes, later based on the consumer preferences the cards were generated in SPSS and same was used to evaluate the consumer preference for new release of ragi variety. For the Study, the conjoint analysis was employed.

Findings: The results reveal that, among all the attributes of ragi studied in Bengaluru urban, taste was found to be most important and first consideration of consumers’ accounting for 39.33 per cent of relative importance with good taste having the utility of 1.21. In case of Bengaluru rural, price was found to be most important and first deliberation, accounting for 35.60 per cent of relative importance. Among all the attributes studied in ragi in Vijayapura urban, colour was found to be most significant and first consideration, accounting for 41.39 per cent. In case of Vijayapura rural also colour was found to be most significant and first consideration, accounting for 36.23 per cent.

Application: Based on the consumer preference for ragi, colour was found to be one of the most important attributes, so research has to be taken up to develop colouredragi varieties with bioavalibility of nutrients.