Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine households’ acceptability of local (Ofada) rice by identifying the quality attributes influencing marginal implicit prices (MIPs) paid by rice consumers’ households in South-West, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: The data used for this study were collected from a survey of 600 rice-consuming households in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. Well-structured questionnaires were used to collect information on general households’ socioeconomic characteristics, their desirability and preference for local (Ofada) rice, and market prices of Ofada rice. Kendall’s concordance test was performed to confirm agreement among respondents in their rankings of the rice quality attributes. Hedonic price function was used to examine the relationship between implicit prices paid by consumers based on quality attributes of local (Ofada) rice, as observed in the market. Findings: The result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance revealed that there is 73.74 per cent agreement in ranking quality attributes of local (Ofada) rice consumers’ households in the study area. Colour, perceived nutrient level, taste, grain shape and rate of breakage were the most ranked quality attributes with mean attribute ranking scores of 1.56, 1.69, 3.12, 5.53 and 5.86, respectively. The result of the hedonic pricing model revealed that households are willing to pay MIPs of ₦71.03 ($0.20), ₦45.23 ($0.13), ₦32.98 ($0.09), ₦21.06 ($0.06) and ₦14.41($0.04) per kg for colour, grain cohesion, grain shape, perceived nutrient level and perceived chemical storage, respectively, while discounting MIPs of ₦60.55 ($0.17), ₦19.36 ($0.05), ₦17.14 ($0.05) and ₦6.00 ($0.02) for texture, rate of breakage, perceived freshness and low swelling capacity per kg of local (Ofada) rice, respectively. Research limitations/implications: Continuous importation of rice into the country has many negative implications such as worsening of the poverty status of local rice farmers, unemployment of teeming youths engaged in rice value chain, and exposure to soaring and unpredictable price bringing unsustainable development. Lastly, over-dependency on rice importation, if not checked, can also permit dumping of low quality and sometimes expired rice into the country. All aforementioned reasons will make it difficult for local rice to compete favourably with imported varieties. Practical implications: Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and Hedonic model were used as a diagnostic tools. These diagnostic tools show the need for government and relevant stakeholders to focus on improving the quality of local (Ofada) rice, especially the undesirable attributes. This could be achieved by adopting modern processing technology, that will enhance production and consumers’ acceptability, which could make local (Ofada) rice have good market share against imported brands. Social implications: The economic value of a good is revealed by the consumer’s willingness to pay for the good, consequently increasing production through consumers’ acceptability, and improve living standard of farmers and processors through increased earnings. Originality/value: The choice of a particular local rice, especially local (Ofada) rice, is made to estimate the effect of different attributes on the price paid by rice consumers’ households and to help in the development of effective technologies and policy that enhance better rice quality using both Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and Hedonic model to achieve the objective. For the first time this research has given clarity on the monetary value attached to local (Ofada) rice consumption by rice consumers’ households through quality attributes.

An understanding of dietary knowledge will most likely inform the consumption of healthy foods. Studies have shown that local (ofada) rice is superior to other rice brands in terms of protein and minerals crucial for overall mental and physical well-being. This study, therefore, examined the effect of households’ dietary knowledge on the consumption of local (ofada) rice, using a simultaneous equation system that accommodates censored dependent variable and continuous endogenous dietary knowledge. The study used survey data from 600 rice consumers’ households in southwest Nigeria and hypothesized that dietary knowledge affects the consumption of local (ofada) rice. The results revealed that dietary knowledge is significantly influenced by factors such as being a household meal planner and presence of household member(s) on a special diet. Dietary knowledge, as hypothesized, was found to positively influence the consumption of local (ofada) rice, as were some sociodemographic variables. The study recommends that effective dietary education about health and other benefits of consuming local (ofada) rice should be developed to promote its consumption in Nigerians’ diets.

Purpose: It is imperative to enhance local production, accessibility and appeal of basic foods like rice to accomplish United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 2 aiming for the attainment of zero hunger worldwide. Therefore, the study explored households’ preferences for locally produced rice (Ofada) in south-west Nigeria. Design/Methodology/Approach: Cross-sectional data were elicited from randomly selected 600 rice-consuming households in South-west Nigeria. The study applied the willingness-to-pay choice technique and a logistic regression model to analyze the dataset. Findings: The findings revealed that the most desirable attributes influencing households’ consumption preferences for local rice were nutritional quality and taste. At the time of data collection, consumers were also willing to pay ₦4.26 ($0.012) and ₦2.80 ($0.008) respectively for every unit improvement in those attributes. Conclusion: The study concluded that attainment of zero hunger in Nigeria is desirable and achievable by boosting local production of high-quality rice to attract sufficient demand. Practical Implications: This study underscored the effort needed to improve local rice production in Nigeria which should be targeted at improving the desired attributes to make indigenous (Ofada) rice attractive to consumers. This can be driven by stepping up investment in the rice value chain with adequate attention given to the processing stage where quality control and standards remain a top-most priority. Contribution to the Literature: This study presents a unique perspective by isolating and highlighting the desirable attributes of rice consuming households because these attributes played a critical role in the preference for local rice consumption.

Purpose: This study aims to examine how deviations from an ideal (prototype) local rice consumer profile influence consumer satisfaction and loyalty in South-West Nigeria. Specifically, it investigates how misalignment in health consciousness, hedonistic value and trust affects consumer behavioural. Design/methodology/approach: Primary data were collected from 600 rice-consuming households across Lagos, Ogun and Osun States using a structured questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics, health consciousness, hedonistic perception, trust, satisfaction and loyalty measures. A profile deviation approach was employed, where ideal consumer profiles were constructed from the top 10% most satisfied and loyal consumers. Euclidean distance metrics were used to compute aggregated and disaggregated deviation scores, and ordinary least squares regression was applied. Findings: The results show that total profile deviation significantly reduces consumer loyalty but has no significant effect on satisfaction. At the disaggregated level, deviation in hedonistic value (sensory experience such as taste, aroma, texture and cleanliness) negatively affects both satisfaction and loyalty, while deviations in health consciousness and trust are not significant. Practical implications: The findings suggest that improving sensory quality attributes, particularly taste, grain uniformity, aroma and removal of impurities, can significantly enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty toward local rice consumption. Originality/value: This study introduces a configuration-theoretic profile deviation approach to food consumer behaviour, demonstrating that consumer misalignment, rather than isolated factors, explains variations in satisfaction and loyalty in staple food markets.