The tradeoff between preference for Ghanaian and imported chicken was studied using a choice based conjoint analysis. A total of 138 respondents who were directly purchasing broiler products were drawn randomly from both traditional and modern markets for inclusion into a revealed preference data collection. A conditional logistic regression model was used to estimate the part-worth of attributes of both Ghanaian and imported broiler. The results show that taste is the most important attribute and thus, provides consumers of Ghanaian boiler meat the highest utility. For imported chicken, convenience provides consumers with the highest utility as imported chicken is primarily offered as pre-cut pieces. Preference for imported chicken over Ghanaian chicken was not entirely based on price but also non-price attributes such as convenience, freshness and origin of the imported product. The most important attribute that consumers consider in making their purchasing decision is the convenience associated with product use. Based on the findings, there is an opportunity to market Ghanaian chicken on attributes in addition to price such as convenience and origin. To take advantage of this opportunity, investment in the domestic poultry industry is required. The study further finds the environment where Ghanaian chicken are sold will need to be improved to erase consumers’ perception of poor product freshness.
Keywords: Broiler attributes, Choice based Conjoint Analysis, Consumer preference
