ANALYSING DETERMINANTS OF HOUSEHOLD BROILER CHICKEN MEAT PURCHASES AMIDST SOCIAL-MEDIA MISINFORMATION: A TOBIT STUDY

The Indian poultry sector significantly boosts GDP. It is grown at 8-10% annually, reaching $22.97 billion in 2022, expected to hit $41.94 billion (10.18% CAGR) from 2023 to 2028. Social media misinformation adversely affected the broiler sector, lowering prices and consumption. Using the Tobit Model, this study analysed Indian households' broiler chicken purchases during misinformation. Data on demographics, socioeconomics, and monthly consumption of chicken meat was collected from 503 respondents and analysed. On average, men favoured broiler chicken, while women preferred native chicken. The potential impact of social media misinformation on women's choices and the influence on households with senior citizens, which consumed significantly less quantity compared to their counterparts, remained intriguing. Unexpectedly, households with better incomes and more education purchased less broiler meat. Marital status, place of residence, cohabitation, and presence of children did not significantly affect the outcome. Muslim families purchased more broiler chicken meat, and larger households consumed more. Consumption frequency was important, with daily and alternate-day customers making larger purchases. Purchases of broiler meat were negatively impacted by the consumption of country chicken. Amidst social media misinformation, while a slight adverse impact on household broiler consumption may have occurred, it's notable that a significant portion of households (97.20%) continued to purchase broiler chicken meat, exhibiting the potential effectiveness of media-driven interventions in mitigating the impact of misinformation and reiterated the persistent favourability for broiler chicken as a dietary protein choice within the larger consumer demographic. The Indian poultry industry is vital for food security and economic growth, making it imperative to address social media-induced panic. Transparency, trust, and accurate information transmission are essential. In order to effectively handle market challenges, stakeholders need to take into account factors like demography and dietary preferences that impact consumer behaviour.