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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
Rural Outreach Program
ISSN: 1684-5358 EISSN: 1684-5358
Vol. 19, No. 2, 2019, pp. 14393-14414
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Bioline Code: nd19034
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2019, pp. 14393-14414
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GUINEA FOWL ( NUMIDA MELIAGRIS ) VALUE CHAIN: PREFERENCES AND CONSTRAINTS OF CONSUMERS
Abdul-Rahman, II; Angsongna, CB & Baba, H
Abstract
Despite the increasing production of guinea fowls in most African countries, consumer
preference information and constraints remain largely undocumented. A study
involving 200 consumers and 50 processors was done in the Tamale metropolis to
assess their respective roles in the guinea fowl value chain. Consumers were
categorised into households and institutions. Household consumers were further
partitioned into lower-, middle- and upper-income classes. Most (99%) of the
consumers interviewed ranked guinea fowl meat as their most preferred poultry
product, and taste was ranked as the top most reason for their choice. A large
proportion of household and institutional consumers ate guinea fowl meat once
monthly (42%) or weekly (33.5%). All categories of consumers preferred farmers as
the source of birds for consumption. Live birds were the most preferred form of guinea
fowl by both consumers and processors. Most (93.7%) consumers indicated that there
are seasonal fluctuations in the price of guinea fowl leading to the use of products that
are substitutes for guinea fowl. Price instability was ranked as the top constraint to
guinea fowl consumption in the metropolis. Beef was the cheapest fresh guaranteed
halal meat product on the market, and the prices of beef, mutton and chevon were the
most stable, while that of the guinea fowl was the least stable. Institutional consumers
used guinea fowls more frequently (p<0.05) as compared to household consumers.
Similarly, upper- and middle-income households, as well as male heads of households
used guinea fowls more frequently (p<0.05) as compared to low-income and female
heads of households. Most (60%) processors processed birds either once weekly or
monthly. The level of education of the heads of households had no effect (p≥0.05) on
the frequency of use of guinea fowl meat. There was also no difference between male
and female heads of households in preference for guinea fowl packaging. Similarly,
household consumers of all income classes chose all packaging of guinea fowl equally,
while households and processors ranked friends as the top source of food safety
information and institutional consumers ranked television as the number one source of
food safety information. Guinea fowls have huge market potential, but the seasonal
price fluctuations still remain a challenge. Additionally, the preference for live birds
among institutional and household consumers seem to be related to uncertainty about
conforming to halal standards in slaughter of birds by processors and poor meat
handling and hygiene standards among processors in the metropolis.
Keywords
Consumption patterns; packaging; consumer preference; guinea fowl; Numida meleagris
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