Abstract
In Ghana the cultivation of cisgenic rice could potentially decrease the current growing gap between domestic supply and demand. Using a consumer survey, the study tested if Ghanaians view cisgenic and transgenic rice differently and estimated consumers’ willingness-to-pay for rice labeled as genetically modified (GM), cisgenic or environmentally beneficial. Employing an interval regression on the survey data showed that consumers were willing to pay a premium for environmentally beneficial rice and a discount for GM and cisgenic rice. In addition, a Likert scale and simple t test was used to show that respondents had a less negative attitude towards cisgenic rice relative to transgenic rice; and perceived cisgenic rice to be different from GM rice, but not different from transgenic rice. Based on the findings of this study and the high skepticism that Ghanaians have towards GM crops, labeling cisgenic as transgenic could mean that Ghanaians would reject cisgenic crops. Further, consumer perception and acceptance are important factors in improving the country’s food security status. Therefore, the Government of Ghana should also make an effort to implement programme that would help increase awareness among Ghanaians about GM and the different types of GM products.Keywords: Rice, Rice Breeding, Cisgenics, GMO
Highlights
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2014) reports that global food security is steadily improving, even in low and middle-income countries
This study was designed with an multiple price list (MPL) format to assess how much consumers are willing to pay for a 5kg bag of conventional rice, in order to avoid an alternative rice variety labeled as genetically modified (GM), CIS, or with environmental benefits (EB)
The negative sign indicates that the base individual’s willingness to pay (WTP) for a 5kg bag is below the price of rice that is labeled as conventionally bred. This result shows that consumers are willing to pay US$13.75 more per 5kg bag, a premium of 275%, for a rice variety that was produced with no fungicide
Summary
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2014) reports that global food security is steadily improving, even in low and middle-income countries. Despite the overall, global progress, Sub-Saharan Africa lags behind with roughly one in five Sub-Saharan Africans remaining undernourished (FAO, 2014). The Government of Ghana projects that rice demand will continuously increase due to the country’s population growth, urbanization, and changing consumer preferences (MOFA, 2009). Despite the country’s favorable agronomic conditions for producing rice (Asuming-Brempong, 1998), the rice sector has been plagued with inefficiencies that have stifled rice production over the past decade. These inefficiencies are as follows: low mechanization, poor agronomic practices, low and inappropriate use of agrochemicals, and lack of good planting materials
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