Consumers willingness to pay for raw sweet corn in the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria

Wasiu Akintunde Yusuf, Sulaiman Adesina Yusuf, Adejare Azeez Ayinla Adesope, Gift Adeife Adepoju

Abstract: The modernised consumption of canned sweet corn is being discouraged health wise. Raw sweet corn is grown as substitute to canned ones to curtail its negative impact on the health. However, the extent of acceptability and willingness to pay for raw corn is not fully documented. The University of Ibadan community was stratified into four major groups which were academic staff members (5,759), the non-academic members (4,210), the undergraduate students (16,248), and the postgraduate students (13,056). Data on socio-economic characteristics, monthly food and non-food expenditure, monthly expenditure on corn, level of awareness and perception of raw sweet corn, factors determining the point of purchase and willingness to pay for raw sweet corn were collected randomly from a sample of 120 respondents from halls of residence, boy’s quarters, chalets, flats and block-of-flats, respectively. The data were then subjected to descriptive statistics, probit regression and contingent valuation technique. The contingent valuation method revealed that household size, average monthly income and frequency of corn consumption were the determinants of WTP for raw sweet corn. The mean WTP was ₦ 505 as premium for 10 cobs of raw sweet corn. Following the results obtained, it was concluded that not all the socio-economic characteristics affected WTP for raw sweet corn significantly. Also, average monthly income of respondents in the study was observed to affect willingness to pay positively can be adjusted to enhance the probability of willingness to pay for raw sweet corn.

Keywords: contingent valuation; probit regression; sweet corn; willingness to pay

Date published: 2022-07-18