Investigation of Consumer’s Preferences of Rice by Applying Choice Modeling Approach with Emphasis on National Production: Case Study of Gorgan

The importance of realization the food security, the exigency to supporting of national production and increasing competitive space that are reflected in politics of resilient economy make essential the study of the sustainability of the important products. Subject to importance of rice in basket of Iranian households, this study assesses consumer’s preferences of this crop by applying a Choice Experiment approach and with an emphasis on national production. The data were collected by simple random sampling method in 1395 through a field survey of 165 households through Cochran formula in Gorgan. The results of the study show that consumers in Gorgan are willing to pay significant amounts to improve the characteristics of rice, which, the most willingness to pay is to improve the characteristic of producing country with assuming the constant of other conditions. Also, the characteristics like taste, nutritional health, the improvement of the rice grain size and bulk packaging are important at the next level that consumers are willingness to pay 4800, 3900, 1500 and 750 Tomans per kg, to improve each one.