Behavioral pattern of fruit & vegetable consumers in the ‘Pola’ (Fair) system in Monaragala district in Sri Lanka

The vegetable and fruit production plays a major role in domestic food production in Sri Lankan agricultural sector. In the process of developing the fruit and vegetable sector, it is very useful to consider the needs, preferences and behaviour of consumers. The main objective of this study is to find the behavioral patterns of fruit and vegetable consumers in the “Pola” (fair) system and reasons for such behaviour. This research study was carried out by using a combination of cross sectional survey and case studies due to explanatory nature of the study. A total of 100 consumers were interviewed and four case studies were carried out in Monaragala District. Five fairs were selected from five of 10 Divisional Secretariat Divisions. To statistically analyze the data, frequency distributions and chi-squire tests were used. The majority (77%) of the consumers of the Pola in the Monaragala District were regular purchasers. The main reason for their preference was low price (40%) and freshness (34%). The consumer’s main vegetable purchasing market was the Pola (97.9%) and the next was the village retailer (65.5%). The consumers’ main consideration in buying vegetables and fruits is price (56.8%). Their next considerations are appearance (52%), freshness 40%, and nutritive value (42.4%) respectively. Consumers were interested in both price and quality (appearance, freshness and nutritive value) when they purchase vegetables and fruits at the Pola.