An insight into the perception, attitude and purchase behaviour of Indian consumers towards organic products and its implications for sustainability

Ever since the concept of organic food got popular in the country, India has emerged as one of the largest markets in the world for organic food. The organic foods or products are healthy, do not contain chemicals or preservatives, are totally natural and much better than any form of non-organic food. Organic food is a product which is made without any help or any kind of pesticides, herbicides or insecticides. Since the organic food offers more health benefits than the conventional food, the Indian government is leading from the front to ensure multi-fold growth in organic market. This paper studies the consumer perception and attitude towards organic food purchase, their level of awareness regarding organic food and explores the factors that influence the organic food purchase behaviour of consumers. 100 samples were collected using non-probability convenience sampling method and same were used for data analysis. The results of data analysis show that increasing health consciousness, taste/preferences, product quality, and environmental concerns are major factors influencing the purchase of organic food in India. On the other hand, high prices, lack of awareness, authenticity issues, resources required for growing the organic food are some of the major challenges that come in the way of organic food.