AN ASSESSMENT OF TEA PROCESSING AND CONSUMPTION AMONG TEA FARMERS’ IN MAMBILLA, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed tea processing and consumption among tea farmers’ in Mambilla, Taraba State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling was used to select 384 tea farmers in the study area. Data were collected from the respondents with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Simple descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were the major analytical tools employed in analysing the data. The study revealed that majority of the respondents were male, married and within the age bracket of 31-50 years. The study also revealed that majority of the respondents (55.9%) consumed about 1.44 litres of tea per day and that majority of the respondents (91.4%) consumed the tea in the morning. Majority of the respondents (94.3%) consume home prepared tea and black tea was the most consumed tea by the respondents. Alcoholic drinks, cocoa, and coffee are alternative drinks to tea consumed in the study area. The study further revealed that sex and education influenced the quantity of tea consumed in the study area. It was therefore recommended that there should be intensive enlightenment on the health benefits associated with tea consumption.