Consumers’ Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Honey Quality Attributes in Nyandarua County, Kenya

Abstract

Low honey quality is among the major challenges facing the honey sector and consumers are keen on quality attributes of honey when purchasing the commodity. Despite the interventions of planting bee flora to ensure honey quality, limited empirical information exists on consumers’ perceptions and willingness to pay for honey quality attributes. The current study assessed consumers’ perceptions and willingness to pay for honey quality attributes in Nyandarua County, Kenya. Primary data was collected from a cross-sectional survey through a multi-stage sampling procedure from 252 honey consumers. To assess consumer’s perceptions for honey quality attributes, the study employed a principal component analysis (PCA) to generate perception indices that were used in multiple linear regression. A quantitative experimental research design; choice experiment (CE) based on a D-optimal design was used. The choice experiment data was analyzed using random parameter logit (RPL) model to evaluate consumers’ willingness to pay for honey quality attributes. The PCA identified origin, bee flora, color and viscosity as key attributes that would inform consumers’ purchase decisions. Gender, education, income, bee flora source awareness, place of purchase and prior information significantly influenced consumers’ perceptions of honey quality attributes while price had a negative influence. Results from the RPL model revealed that consumers had a positive preference for bee flora source, origin labelling, joint certification, viscosity and colour of honey. Preference heterogeneity across various attributes was observed. Consumers were willing to pay the highest premium prices between Ksh 58 and Ksh 109 for bee flora source, origin labelling, joint certification, viscosity and colour of honey. These findings are important in informing improvement of honey quality in Kenya and the rest of the world. Interventions by county governments in Kenya should be geared towards supporting the establishment of bee flora in order to ensure honey quality and build consumer confidence.