Determinants of demand for Tomatoes in Arumeru District

Abstract

This study assesses factors that determine demand for tomatoes in Arumeru, a district in the northern part of Tanzania. The study investigates factors that influence a consumer to demand tomatoes when they are plenty and when tomatoes are off seasons. The study collected primary data from Arumeru through administering a questionnaire that required women from their respective households to give their household characteristics and the socio-economic variables of the household. The study found that both urban and rural households use new varieties of tomatoes more than the old varieties regardless of seasonality. The study also found that when tomatoes are scarce then the demand for tomatoes is affected by locality of the household. In this, movements from urban areas to rural areas reduce the consumption of tomatoes. It was also found that, nutritional education to the mother has correlation with the quantity of tomatoes demanded at the household.