Understanding the consumption patterns of Food Grains Consumers on the basis of their spending behaviors.

Abstract

This research seeks to establish the changes in the consumption of food grains over time in India especially Punjab to identify the differences between the urban and rural regions. To address the research question that seeks to know if there are considerable differences in consumption between these regions, the study adopts a descriptive research design and a positivist epistemology and ontology that rely on secondary data from a number of governmental agencies. The data compiled is for five years (1999-2000, 2004-05, 2009-10, 2011-12, and 2022-23) and the results are tested by Independent Sample t-test. In contrast with the hypothesis that there would be a huge difference between urban and rural areas, this study finds that there is a surprising level of similarity in consumers’ behaviors. The results of the statistical tests reveal that there are no significant differences in the consumption behaviors between the two periods of time and therefore can be concluded that the consumption behaviors have become more similar with time. It is therefore possible to conclude that this has been caused by elements such as better transport networks, availability of a wider range of products, and shifts in consumers’ behavior that have made the consumption experience more standardized. Therefore, there is a need to reconsider the measures that are being put in place to correct the regional imbalance in consumption levels and also emphasizes the need to understand these trends for economic planning and development.