Are all GMO’s the same? Consumer acceptance of cisgenic rice in India

Aaron Shew (), Lawton Nalley, Diana M. Danforth, Bruce L. Dixon, Rodolpho M. Nayga and Anne-Cecile Delwaide

No 204869, 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: India has more than 215 million food insecure people, many of whom are farmers. Genetically modified (GM) crops have the potential to alleviate this problem by increasing food supplies and strengthening farmer livelihoods. For this to occur, two factors are critical: (1) a change in the regulatory status of GM crops, and (2) consumer acceptance of GM foods. There are generally two classifications of GM crops based on how they are bred: cisgenically-bred, derived from sexually compatible organisms, and transgenically-bred, derived from sexually incompatible organisms. Consumers may view cisgenic foods as more natural than those produced via transgenesis, thus influencing consumer acceptance. This premise was the catalyst for our study—would Indian consumers accept cisgenically-bred rice and if so, how would they value cisgenics compared to conventionally-bred rice, GM-labeled rice, and “no fungicide” rice? In this willingness-to-pay study, respondents did not view cisgenic and GM rice differently. However, participants were willing-to-pay a premium for any aforementioned rice with a “no fungicide” attribute, which cisgenics and GM could provide. Lastly, 76% and 73% of respondents stated a willingness-to-consume GM and cisgenic foods, respectively.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Demand and Price Analysis; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; International Development; Marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 12
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-mkt
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea15:204869

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.204869

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