Customers Preference for Composite Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato Bread over Wheat Bread in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Breeding of orange-fleshed sweetpotato in any country of the world can contribute to a reduction of malnutrition because of its beta-carotene content and is highly appreciated by local consumers. Because of this, the study investigated customers' preference for orange-fleshed sweetpotato bread over wheat bread. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the factors that determine the customers’ shift from wheat bread to orange-fleshed sweetpotato bread and the constraints working against orange-fleshed sweetpotato bread production. Multistage sampling techniques were used for the study. 120 customers were sampled using 5 different major cities in the state due to their consumption rate of bread. Data collected were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean scores and regression analysis. Findings indicated that the majority (66.7%) of the customers were females while 33.3% of the rest were males. This implies that females dominated the activities of bread marketing in the study area. The mean age, years of business experience and household size were 32 years, 20 years, and 8 persons respectively. Out of the 13 variables investigated as regards the factors influencing customers’ preference of orange-fleshed sweetpotato bread over wheat bread, six (6) variables were found to be statistically significant based on the factors influencing personal and socio-economic characteristics of the customers. Those variables were health benefits from the bread, colour of the skin, taste of the bread, cost reduction of the bread, aroma of the bread and meeting up with consumers’ needs.  However, the constraints working against orange-fleshed sweetpotato bread production were; the high cost of roots, transportation cost, low knowledge of OFSP bread by some customers, lack of capital to expand the production, inadequate processing equipment, limited number of farmers to produce OFSP root and inadequate storage facilities. This paper recommended that there should be a proper dissemination of information about OFSP bread and its health benefits to people through extension agents. Government at all levels should encourage OFSP processors thereby helping them to secure processing equipment that can boost OFSP bread production in the state and youths should engage themselves in sweetpotato farming to make roots available to the processors.