| Scope and method of study. We conducted a Choice Experiment (CE) to evaluate consumers' preferences for the new orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and the traditional white varieties (WFSP), by comparing information generated in eight treatments representing scenarios under urban and rural areas, with and without information about nutritional value of potatoes, and under visual/incentivized and non-visual/hypothetical framework.;Findings and conclusions. Total WTP for OFSPs were greater than the total WTP for white varieties in seven out of eight treatments in study. Accordingly, the marginal WTP for OFSP versus WFSP were positive in those treatments. Under information-visual/incentivized scenarios, the marginal WTP for orange versus white varieties in rural area was nearly twice the marginal WTP in urban area, indicating a relative importance of OFSP in rural areas. Among the attributes in study, the dry matter content was the most valued. On average, the values of marginal WTP for high dry matter content were almost twice compared to marginal WTP for the color of the pulp, in both treatments with and without information. Therefore, price differences between orange and white varieties are more likely to take place if the requirements for dry matter content are fulfilled as compared to the color of pulp. Finally, results from the compensating variation strongly indicate that there is a welfare gain from changing from the traditional situation with only white varieties to a new situation with both orange and white varieties. In urban areas, aggregate welfare gains of having these two varieties in the production system can be nearly MT 5,529.42 million and in rural areas these benefits are about MT 8,577.36 million. |
