COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR ORANGE AND WHITE-FLESHED SWEET POTATO IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the consumer preference for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) compared to white-fleshed sweet potatoes (WFSP) in Kwara State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 140 respondents from the study area. Data were collected through the administration of questionnaire and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings show that 66.4% were males while 82.1% were married. The average age was 46.1 years with the standard deviation ±8.26, and an average household size of 5 persons. Majority (51.4%) of the respondents had formal education. The findings also reveal that the respondents agreed that ‘OFSP is more nutritious than WFSP’ (x̄ =3.9±1.40), ‘OFSP is healthier than WFSP’ (x̄ =3.9±1.41) and ‘OFSP has more vitamins and minerals than WFSP’ (x̄ =3.6±1.21). Consumers’ willingness to purchase and consume OFSP instead of WFSP was high among the respondents with 83.6%. The results also show that nutritional content (x̄ =3.9), taste (x̄ =3.8) and health benefits (x̄ =3.7) were the factors influencing the choice of OFSP’s consumption over WFSP. In addition, the results of regression analysis showed that higher education supports preference for OFSP (β=0.233, p<0.05) while age (β= .012, p<0.05) had a negative influence on the preference for OFSP over WFSP. The study concluded that consumers preferred OFSP over WFSP due to its nutritional content, taste and health benefits. It is recommended that marketing efforts should be directed at showcasing the nutritional benefits and palatability of OFSP that provide consumers with better taste and good health.