HOUSEHOLD PREFERENCE FOR RICE IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This research was undertaken to examine household preference for rice between locally produced rice and imported rice in Oredo local government, Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria. The primary data obtained from a sample of 70 household heads with the aid of a structured questionnaire were employed in the study and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics and budget share expenditures. The result of the data analysis indicated that 75% of sampled households preferred imported rice to local rice before the pandemic and 35% preferred local rice. But there was a huge shift in turn during the covid 19 pandemic as 58% of the households now consume local rice and 52%still continue to consume imported rice. Although it was a positive start, but still not enough. It is recommended that huge investment on rice local rice production should be pursued, with government, stakeholders and policy makers in rice to ensure quality of local rice produced is improved to make local rice more acceptable and cause local rice to be highly competitive with foreign rice also put in place a more . This will encourage households to demand and consume more of local rice. Also a reasonable and fixed price should be put in place to allow every household to be able to consume the local rice.