CONSUMER DEMAND AND PREFERENCE FOR MEAT CONSUMPTION AMONG URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined consumer demand and preference for meat consumption among urban households in Ondo State, Nigeria. Nigeria livestock industry is small and slow growing relative to the population relying on it for meat. Household demand for meat products are faced with problems which are mostly due to market prices. Developing countries such as Nigeria is among low income countries where decrease in per capita income leads to decrease in meat demand and consumption. Also meat consumption varies worldwide, depending on culture or religious preference, economic conditions as well as changes in the consumer food behaviors which all contribute to the problem of meat consumption. Therefore the study examined the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; identified the most preferred meat type; examined the factors that influence consumer’s demand and preference for meat; estimated own price, cross price and expenditure elasticities of the demand for meat and identified constraints faced by respondents in meeting their meat consumption needs in the study area. Primary data were collected with aid of a well-structured questionnaire from one hundred and fifty (150) respondents comprising of fifty urban households each from Akure South, Ondo West and Owo Local Government Areas of Ondo state. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Multinomial Logistic Regression, Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model and Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance. The results showed among others that: Male respondents dominated with 54% and 77.4% of the respondents were in the age bracket of 20-50 years in the study area, while 80% of the respondents had tertiary education, 76.7% of the respondents have household size of 1-5 and 42% of the respondents are civil servants. The study also revealed that dried fish is the most preferred meat (56.7%) followed by Hide and skin (ponmo) (19.3%), Pork (13.3%), while snail is the least preferred meat (10.7%). The reason for this preference were: appearance, income, smell and market. The result of Multinomial Logistic Regression showed that dried fish was the reference category, thereby making prediction for the other three meat types. Likewise, the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) showed that the own price of all the products are negative, confirming to the law of demand, while Cross price elasticity revealed that the various meat types have complementary and substitute relationships. In conclusion, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance showed that low household income was the most severe constraint while poor health and religious belief were the least pressing constraints faced by the respondents in meeting their meat needs. The study recommended that consumer’s protection council must make sure that the prices of the available meat types are kept low by encouraging partnership in the production, distribution and marketing of meat which in turn allow the consumers to buy at relatively cheap prices. Also, the public and the private sector should ensure that there are more sales outlet readily available for the numerous consumers so as to meet their demands for meat products to help household consume what they prefer than what is available.