Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Value-Added Cassava Flour (Pupuru) in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Agricultural value chains in Nigeria are expanding rapidly to ensure national food security. Of the diverse locally made cassava products, pupuru (fermented cassava flour) is one of the most consumed in Ondo state. The constraint of high perishability necessitates additional processing and bio-fortification as the solution. Value-added bio-fortified pupuru hygienically packaged now adorns store shelves against the traditional pupuru sold in the open market. Information from 120 respondents, was selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure, using an interview schedule to determine their willingness to pay for value-added pupuru. Majority of the respondents consume pupuru (75.8%), at home (62.5%), whenever available (59.2%) and purchase it (51.7%) from the open markets. There is low knowledge, but favourable attitude based on its ease of consumption (ẍ=3.95), preservation (ẍ=3.85) and non-toxicity (ẍ=3.80). The majority (60.0%) are willing to pay the extra cost of value addition. The correlation showed a significant relationship between consumers’ knowledge (r=0.624), perception (r=-0.328) and willingness to pay (p=<0.05) for value-added pupuru. Availability, affordable price and endorsement from trusted people influenced their willingness to pay. Increased investment in value-added, popular local foods like pupuru shows great promise for higher income generation, strengthening household nutritional security and agricultural development.