Determinant of Consumer Preference between Local and Imported Rice in Ethiopia: Implications for the National Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan
| dc.contributor.advisor | Asres Abitie (phD) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Luel Endale | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-10-29T10:59:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-10-29T10:59:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-05-09 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Despite major efforts, Ethiopia faces a growing challenge in its rice sector, with consumption rapidly outpacing domestic production and leading to substantial import dependency, straining foreign exchange reserves and exposing the nation to global market volatility. While existing literature primarily addresses supply-side constraints, this study identifies a critical gap in understanding consumer demand as a key driver of persistent import reliance. This research, conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s largest urban market, aimed to analyze the determinants of consumer preference between local and imported rice. Employing a quantitative descriptive survey design, data were collected from 384 urban consumers using a structured questionnaire, and multinomial logistic regression was utilized to identify influencing factors. The findings reveal that quality-related attributes, specifically taste, cooking performance, and grain size/appearance are the most significant predictors of consumer preference for imported rice, with packaging also emerging as a strong determinant. Counter-intuitively, price sensitivity was positively associated with imported rice preference, suggesting that urban consumers perceive imported rice as offering superior value for its higher cost, while cultural influence was the only significant predictor that strongly favored local rice, and availability did not significantly differentiate preferences. The study concludes that the persistent reliance on imported rice is largely driven by a perceived quality gap, highlighting that merely increasing domestic production volume is insufficient; achieving rice self-sufficiency necessitates a strategic shift towards enhancing the quality, branding, and marketing of local rice to align with urban consumer preferences. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/7537 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | A.AU | |
| dc.title | Determinant of Consumer Preference between Local and Imported Rice in Ethiopia: Implications for the National Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan | |
| dc.type | Thesis |