Consumer perception of groundnut quality, aflatoxin awareness and willingness to pay for safe groundnuts in the Northern region, Ghana

Abstract

The major purpose of this thesis is to measure the consumer perception of groundnut quality, their level of aflatoxin and willingness to pay for safe groundnuts in the Northern Region of Ghana. The major contribution of the report is to help protect groundnut consumers in the region from the menace of aflatoxins and promote consumption of safer groundnuts. The following objectives were embarked upon by the researcher: (1). To determine the consumer perception of good quality groundnuts (2).To determine the level of aflatoxin awareness among groundnut consumers and establish if it differs significantly among consumers at different levels of education. (3). To evaluate the relationship between the income level of households and their frequency of groundnut consumption. (4).To determine the percentage of consumers who will patronize groundnuts certified as safe for human consumptions at an extra cost of GH¢0.7 per ‘bowl’ or ‘olonka (2088g). (5)To determine the factors which will significantly influence willingness of consumers to pay for certified groundnuts. The perception of consumers of groundnuts with respect to the conditions of groundnuts which expose them to aflatoxin contamination is low and hence they will accept groundnuts of low quality for household consumption. When it was measured, the level of awareness of aflatoxins was found to be very low in the Northern Region of Ghana. This level of awareness did not vary significantly among the mean awareness level of the different categories of residents in terms of their educational statuses. The frequency of groundnut consumption by residents of Northern Region has an inverse relationship with the household income levels. Hence households with lower incomes tend to consume groundnuts more often than those with higher incomes. In determining the factors which would influence consumer willingness to pay for groundnuts certified as safe for human consumption, the significant variables include the household income levels and the educational status of respondents.