Consumers’ Preference and Attitude Towards Dried Corchorus olitorius L. in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria

Aims: To examine consumers’ preference and attitude towards dried Corchorus olitorius L. leaves in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey

Place and Duration of Study: Ibadan North-West, Ido and Akinyele LGAs in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria, between March 2023 and August 2023.

Methodology: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 170 consumers selected through a two-stage random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics and probit regression analysis were used for data analysis.

Results: Most respondents were females (72.9%), married (51.8%), within the age range of 26-35 years (39.4%), had 1-5 household members (72.9%) and tertiary education (77.6%). 63.5% were aware of dried C. olitorius L., but 60% had not consumed it before, mainly due to unavailability. 20.6% preferred dried leaves. Packaging, aroma, colour and texture were key attributes considered for purchase. Sex, household size and income significantly influenced preference.

Conclusion: There is low preference for dried C. olitorius L in the study area. Creating awareness and appropriate marketing is needed to improve attitude and demand. Suitable packaging should also be developed to retain product quality attributes.