Preference for Imported and Nigeria Rice among Rural Households in Imo State Nigeria

This study examined the preference for imported and Nigeria rice among rural households in Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to ascertain the level of preference of imported and Nigerian rice, determine the factors influencing household preference of imported and Nigerian rice consumed and to identify the major constraints to the consumption of imported and Nigerian rice in the study area. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting120 respondents. Primary data were collected with the used of structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The major findings showed that the grand mean score of 2.67 and 1.60 revealed that the respondents preferred imported rice to Nigerian rice. The major constraints to rice consumption preference for Nigerian rice were presence of husk, dirt and stones (90.0%), poor quality (85.8%), broken grain (75.0%), low swelling capacity (72.50%) breakages (71.60%), lack of competition advantages (68.33%), the constraints to imported rice consumption were high cost (73.33%) and affordability of the products (62.50%). Factors that significantly influence the household consumption preference for imported and Nigerian rice were price (p<0.05), nutritional value (p<0.05), ease of preparation (p<0.01) cleanliness (p<0.01) and taste (p<0.05). The study concluded that rural dwellers still preferred imported rice to Nigerian rice. It was recommended that Nigerian rice producer should improve the quality of the rice for it to have competitive advantage over imported rice. Government should invest in Nigerian rice production by issuing loans to Nigerian rice farmers and encourage mechanization.