Consumer acceptability and willingness to pay for potato-based cookies in Uganda

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a food and cash crop in Uganda, with a great potential to improve households’ nutrition security and income, if processed and commercialised. A set a potato based products, including cookies, biscuits and waffles have been developed but acceptability profiles by potential consumers is yet to be assessed. This study aimed at examining the attributes of the potato-based products that potential consumers prefer, and the factors that influence the prices they are willing to pay for the products in Uganda. A market study was conducted in Southwestern Uganda in the three main urban centres (Kabale, Kisoro and Mbarara) where a total of 600 randomly selected respondents were interviewed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model. Consumers were willing to pay about 1,600 Uganda shillings (US$ 0.46) per pack of the potato-based cookies. This is an indicator of the likely market entry success given that the producer would breakeven by selling the cookies at 1,000 shillings (US$ 0.29). The results further show that the price of close substitutes (other cookies and biscuits already in the market) and the distance where cookies are bought were the key factors that would influence the price consumers would be willing to pay for the potato-based cookies. It is concluded that selling the products closer to consumers, increases the price consumers would pay for them. It is therefore recommended that the producer should produce at a relatively low price such that the product is sold at a competitively lower market price than that offered for the current available product. Keywords: Consumers preferences, price, Solanum tuberosum, Uganda