PRELIMINARY SURVEY ON CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR SHRIMPS AND PRAWNS IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Consumer preferences for freshwater prawns and marine shrimps in Cross River State, Nigeria were examined. This
was a baseline study to gather information for the development of shrimp and prawn farming in the State. Data were
collected with the use of structured questionnaires. Seventy seven percent (77%) of the respondents were within the
age bracket of 21—50 years, while ten percent (10%) of the respondents were above 60 years. The respondents were
highly literate with 40% having tertiary education, 28.5% secondary education while 11.4% had primary school
education. Data from the survey revealed that 71% of the respondents had a high consumer preference for shrimp
and prawns than all other fish species with the motivating factor for consumption being taste and as a source of
animal protein. However, they preferred fish as a major source of animal protein (80%) followed by shrimps (65%) and prawns (52%). Majority of the consumers (65.7%) preferred to purchase the shrimps or prawns whole without processing or value addition. The survey showed that the people of Cross River State had high consumer acceptability for shrimps and prawns, an indication that if shrimp or prawn farming is developed in the State, there will be market for the products.