Determinants of Consumer Purchasing Attitude toward Domestic Sweet Oranges in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

Abstract

Understanding consumer purchasing attitude is essential for improving agricultural marketing and strengthening the competitiveness of local fruit sectors. This study examines the key determinants influencing consumers’ purchasing attitude toward domestic sweet oranges in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Primary data were collected from 267 consumers using a structured questionnaire. The study employed a nonprobability sampling method, Specifically Convenience Sampling Technique. Consumers’ purchasing attitude was treated as the dependent variable, while price, income and taste were considered as explanatory variables. The tools used in the study i.e. ANOVA, T=Test and P-value to analyze the relationship between purchasing attitude and the selected predictors. The results indicate that income has a highly significant (P=0.00001) and positive effect on purchasing attitude, making it the most influential determinant. Price shows a significant negative effect, confirming that, consumers in Nangarhar are price-sensitive. Taste exhibits a positive but marginally significant influence (P= 0.054513), suggesting that sensory quality contributes to improved consumer attitudes. The t-test results show that income has a highly significant positive (T=29.858) effect on consumers’ purchasing attitudes, while taste has a marginally significant (T=1.941) influence. In contrast, price shows a negative and statistically significant (T=-2.919) relationship with consumers’ purchasing attitudes.  The ANOVA results show that the regression model is highly significant (F = 304.077), indicating that the explanatory variables jointly influence consumers’ purchasing attitudes toward domestic sweet oranges. The model demonstrates strong explanatory power, with an R-squared value of 0.776, indicating that approximately 77.6% of the variation in purchasing attitude is explained by the included variables. This suggests that the model provides a good fit for explaining variations in consumer purchasing behaviour in the study area. The findings provide important insights for producers, marketers, and policymakers, emphasising the need to focus on product quality, taste improvement, and price management to enhance consumer acceptance and competitiveness of locally produced sweet oranges in Nangarhar.