A research on factors affecting fresh fruit and vegetable producers' tendency to participate in cooperatives

Objective: The main purpose of the study is to analyze the perspective of fresh fruit and vegetable producers in İzmir province towards cooperatives and their tendency to become partners. Material and methods: Study data were obtained by proportional sampling and face-to-face survey method from 155 producers in İzmir province. Best-Worst and Fuzzy Paired Comparison methods were used to analyze the data. Results: The average age of producers is 49.12 years, and the average education period is 7.86 years. The most important activities that producers expect from cooperatives are product collection, obtaining high sales prices and providing inputs at low prices. 76.77% of the producers stated that they could become partners in a fresh fruit and vegetable cooperative if it was established. Conclusion: A cooperative established by producers in the region acting together will be effective, especially in marketing.