PRESENT STATUS AND PROBLEMS OF UNDERUTILIZED VEGETABLES AS PERCEIVED BY THE RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS OF KHULNA CITY OF BANGLADESH

Though underutilized vegetables are safe, cheap and rich sources of proteins, fibers, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants; they attract very little attention from the researchers and from the vegetables’ traders. The study was conducted to evaluate the status of underutilized vegetables at retailers’ and consumers’ level of Khulna city along with the problems faced by the retailers and preferences of the consumers related to underutilized vegetables. More than half (60%) of the retailers were middle aged and only 12.5% were young. Three-fourths (75%) of the retailers were female though only 2.5% had received higher secondary level of education. Only one-fourth of the retailers participated in different organizations though all showed low involvement with those activities. However, majority of the retailers (82.5%) showed favorable attitude towards underutilized vegetables. Among the consumers, about a half of them (47.5%) belonged to middle age, 42.5% had postgraduate degree, and only 12.5% were involved with different organizations. However, just more than one-third (35%) consumers bought underutilized vegetables regularly. Consumers preferred underutilized vegetables mainly because of health and nutritional benefits. Laborious collection of underutilized vegetables, not getting permission from the owner, and collecting vegetables all day long without having meal ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively in terms of problems being faced by the retailers.