Valuation and willingness to pay for corn on the cob consumers in Mexico

• Carla Zulema Jauregui García Departamento de Ingeniería Agroindustrial de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), K.m. 38.5 Carretera México-Texcoco, Chapingo, México. C.P. 56230 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0105-4249
• Anastacio Espejel García Departamento de Ingeniería Agroindustrial de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), K.m. 38.5 Carretera México-Texcoco, Chapingo, México. C.P. 56230 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6462-6681
• Arturo Hernández Montes Departamento de Ingeniería Agroindustrial de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), K.m. 38.5 Carretera México-Texcoco, Chapingo, México. C.P. 56230 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1502-3101

Keywords: willingness to pay, corn on the cob, consumer preferences, valorization

Abstract

The corn is a traditional food in Mexico that has been influenced by the current dynamics of the markets, causing the replacement of creole varieties by improved varieties and hybrids. Foods are characterized by a set of attributes that can be associated with a subjective evaluation, from which it is possible to approximate a utility function and determine elements for its evaluation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the Mexican consumer's willingness to pay for various types of corn and to determine which of them have a higher valuation. The methodology was based on a contingent valuation study, with a total of 356 consumers selected by snowball sampling (95% reliability and 7% error) and answering a questionnaire designed in Google forms, addressing consumer sociodemographic information, characteristics corn and their willingness to pay. The willingness to pay extra for corn was significantly influenced when the consumer determined that it is important to know if the corn comes from Creole or modified seed and if it has any certification. Creole and imported corn obtained a greater willingness to pay, giving higher valuation to these products. In conclusion, the present work explores the economic valuation of corn, where significant factors can be used to induce an effect on consumers, particularly in the revaluation of creole corn.

References

Annur, N.D., B.S.H. Nugrohoningtyas, M.C. Rodríguez-Dodero and W. Setyaningsih. 2020. Consumers’ willingness to pay for functional rice: A survey from indonesia. Food Research, 4(4):1344-1350.
Aschemann-Witzsel, J., N. Maroscheck and U. Hamm. 2013. Are organic consumers preferring or avoiding foods with nutrition and health claims. Food Qual. Prefer. 30(3):68-76.
Bentivoglio, D., A. Finco, G. Bucci and G. Staffolani. 2020. Is there a promising market for the A2 milk? analysis of italian consumer preferences. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(17).
Bilal, M. and D. Lal. 2019. Indian consumers' attitudes towards purchasing organically produced foods: An empirical study. J. Clean. Prod. 215:99-111.
Boncinelli, F., A. Dominici, F. Gerini and E. Marone. 2019. Consumers wine preferences according to purchase occasion: Personal consumption and gift-giving. Food Qual. Prefer. 71:270-278.
Cao, Y.J., J. Cranfield, C. Chen and T. Widowski. 2020. Heterogeneous informational and attitudinal impacts on consumer preferences for eggs from welfare enhanced cage systems. Food Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101979
Cerdan, C., D. Vitrolles, G. Mascarenhas et J. Wilkinson. 2011. La mise en politique des indications ge´ographiques et du terroir au Bre´sil: principaux de´fis et perspectives. In: C. Delfosse (Ed.). La mode du terroir et les produits alimentaires. p. 323–346.
Dal Bianco, A., V. Boatto, S. Trestini and F. Caracciolo. 2018. Understanding consumption choice of prosecco wine: an empirical analysis using Italian and German Homescan data. Int. J. Wine Res. 29(3):190-203.
Delmond, A.R., J.J. Mccluskey, M. Yormirzoev and M.A. Rogova. 2018. Russian consumer willingness to pay for genetically modified food. Food Policy 78:91-100.
Fernández, I., J.L. Jaramillo, J.A. Hernández, y P. Cadena. 2014. Evaluación agronómica y sensorial de ocho genotipos de maíz (Zea mays L.) para la producción de elote. Agro-Productividad 7(6): 47- 51.
FIRA (Fideicomisos Instituidos en Relación con la Agricultura). 2016. Panorama Agroalimentario. Maíz 2016. Dirección de Investigación y Evaluación Económica y Sectorial. México. 41 pp.
He, C., L. Shi, Z. Gao and L. House. 2020. The impact of customer ratings on consumer choice of fresh produce: A stated preference experiment approach. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 68(3):359-373.
Konuk, F.A. 2019. Consumers' willingness to buy and willingness to pay for fair trade food: The influence of consciousness for fair consumption, environmental concern, trust and innovativeness. Food Res. Int. 120:141-147.
Lanfranchi, M., E. Schimmenti, M.G. Campolo and C. Giannetto. 2019. The willingness to pay of Sicilian consumer for a wine obtained with sustainable production method: an estimate through an ordered probit sample-selection model. Wine Economics and Policy. 8(2):203-215
Lim, K.H., W. Hu, L.J. Maynard and E. Goddard. 2013. U.S. Consumers’ preference and willingness to pay for country-of-origin-labeled beef steak and food safety enhancements. J. Agric. Econ. 61(1):93-118.
Liu, R., Z. Gao, R.M. Nayga, H.A. Snell and H. Ma. 2019. Consumers’ valuation for food traceability in china: Does trust matter? Food Policy, 88.
Loureiro, M.L. and S. Hine. 2002. Discovering Niche Markets: a comparison of consumer willingness to pay for local (Colorado Grown), Organic, and GMO-Free products. J. Agric. Appl. Econ. 34(3):477-487.
Lu, J., H. Wang, L. Wu and X. Chen. 2020. Traceability information dnd willingness to pay: The case of Pork. Singapore Economic Review, 65(3):737-754.
Martínez, G.J. y C.L. Martínez. 2008. Determinación de la máxima varianza para el cálculo del factor de imprecisión sobre la escala de medida, y extensión a diferentes tipos de muestreo. Psicothema, 20(2):311-316.
Mennecke, B.E., A.M. Townsend, D.J. Hayes, and S.M. Lonergan. 2007. A study of the factors that influence consumer attitudes toward beef products using the conjoint market analysis tool. J. Anim. Sci. 85(10):2639-2659.
Ortiz-Torres, E., P.A. López, A. Gil-Muñoz, J.D. Guerrero-Rodríguez, H. López Sánchez, O.R. Taboada-Gaytán, J.A. Hernández-Guzmán y M. Valadez Ramírez. 2013. Rendimiento y calidad de elote en poblaciones nativas de maíz de Tehuacán, Puebla. Rev. Chapingo Ser. Hortic. 19(2):225-238.
Pomarici, E., M. Lerro, P. Chrysochou, R. Vecchio, and A. Krystallis. 2017. One size does (obviously not) fit all: Using product attributes for wine market segmentation. Wine Econ. Policy 6(2):98-106.
Romero-Padilla, A., M. Hernández-Juárez, O.A. Arana-Coronado, R.C. García- Sánchez, J. Malaga, y E. Segarra. 2014. Impacto de la producción de biocombustible en Estados Unidos en el mercado de maíz (Zea mays L.) en México. Agrociencia 48(6):653-665.
Rousseau, S., and L. Vranken. 2013. Green market expansion by reducing information asymmetries: Evidence for labeled organic food products. Food Policy. 40:31-43.
Thorne, F., J. A. S. Fox, E. Mullins and M. Wallace. 2017. Consumer willingness-to-pay for genetically modified potatoes in ireland: An experimental auction approach. Agribusiness, 33(1), 43-55.
Van Kleef, E., H.C.M. Van Trijp and P. Luning. 2005. Consumer research in the early stages of new product development: A critical review of methods and techniques. Food Qual. Prefer. 16:181-201.
Wu, L., S. Wang, D. Zhu, W. Hu and H. Wang. 2015. Chinese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for traceable food quality and safety attributes: The case of pork. China Econ. Rev. 35: 121-136.
Xie, J., Z. Gao, M. Swisher, & X. Zhao. 2016. Consumers’ preferences for fresh broccolis: Interactive effects between country of origin and organic labels. Agricultural Economics, 47(2):181–191.
Xu, L., X. Yang, L. Wu, X. Chen, L. Chen and F. Tsai. 2019. Consumers’ willingness to pay for food with information on animal welfare, lean meat essence detection, and traceability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19).
XLSTAT, Software. 2014. Data Analysis and Statistical Solution for Microsoft Excel, Addinsoft, Paris, France 2017. Disponible en: https://www.xlstat.com
Yin, S., W. Hu, Y. Chen, F. Han, Y. Wang and M. Chen. 2019. Chinese consumer preferences for fresh produce: Interaction between food safety labels and brands. Agribusiness, 35(1):53-68.