Consumer willingness to pay for organic sea bass in Turkey

Abstract

This study analyzes the willingness of Turkish consumers to pay for organically farmed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). A contingent valuation survey was conducted during 2004 in six super- markets in Adana, Turkey. An ordered probit analysis with a sample selection model was used to determine the probability of consumers’ willingness to pay for organically farmed sea bass by considering related explanatory variables. Results indicate that 91.5% of the respondents would be willing to pay a premium for organically farmed sea bass. Econometric results suggest that willingness to pay is mainly related to household income, education, food safety concerns, whether the respondent is the primary food shopper in household, and whether there are chil- dren under the age of 10 in the household.