Is Imported Cabbage a Better Choice than Local Egg Fruit for Salad Preparation: An Economic Analysis of Ekiti State, Nigeria

The study deals with the possibility of reducing higher ratio of dependence on importation of food through the replacement of foreign products with locally produced and processed food products. In order to accomplish the objectives of the study, both primary and secondary data had been used. Accordingly, a multi-stage sampling technique was utilized to select the sample size. Descriptive and inferential statistics were eventually applied to the primary data collected. The results indicated undoubtedly that the locally produced and processed salad competed favourably and suitably with foreign salad products in terms of colour, odour, taste, and other sensory parameters evaluated accordingly. The orthodox budget analysis indicated that garden egg salad was more profitable than imported cabbage salad. The correlation outcome value of +1 indicated that local salad stands as a perfect substitute for foreign salad. Therefore, the phasing out of foreign salad so as to replace it with locally sourced salad is quite feasible. It had therefore been obviously and clearly established in this study that imported cabbage could be replaced with locally produced garden egg salad, thereby indicating that reducing the degree of dependence on food importation is absolutely viable.