Improved Cook Stoves Consumer Insights in Mozambique

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Introduction

This article provides a snapshot of the SHS market in Mozambique particularly the consumer insights i.e awareness level, willingness to pay, access to finance and affordability. For information about market size, actors active in the market and other market insights, click here.

In this article, the term improved cookstoves (ICS) includes efficient cookstoves that burn different solid biomass such as firewood, charcoal, agricultural residues, animal dung and other solid biomass products. Advanced or high tier cookstoves (ACS) are fuelled by LPG, biogas, solar energy or electricity and are mentioned in some sections of this article. ACS are not included in the term ICS, however they are included in the terms clean cooking solutions and clean cooking technologies.

Consumer Insights

For successful market penetration and sale of cookstoves, it is important to take several factors into consideration. The consumer preference for a certain stove design, preference for fuel type, and the willingness and affordability of the consumer to pay for the ICS is influenced by:

1. Household Economics
   • Household Income
   • Household expenditure
   • Willingness to pay
2. Non-economic
   • Household size
   • Household age
   • Education
3. Behavioural and Cultural
   • Food preferences
   • Cooking practices
4. Enabling factors
   • Government supported policies and interventions
   • End-user financing
   • Product diversity and availability

The type of stove a customer is willing to buy also depends on geographical factors which influences the availability of fuel resources, and the household fuel preferences. Regarding fuel availability, the cookstove model that is being introduced should use the available fuel. Regarding household preferences, the cookstoves design has to be adopted to the local cuisine and in many areas, cookstoves are also used as a space heater during night. Thus, ICS market development should incooperate these considerations to reach end-consumers and increase adaptability of cookstoves.

Usage of ICS and cooking fuel

Mozambique is a patriarchal society where man is the head of the household and is mainly responsible for making all household financial decision. However, women are the ones responsible for cooking and thus play a key role in shaping the demand for ICS. Thus, awareness and sensitisation campaigns should target both men and women.

Survey data from 2019 shows that solid biomass (firewood and charcoal) are the preferred fuels for cooking in the whole country. In 2019, the total charcoal production for cooking was 3,064 ktoe. The preferences for either firewood or charcoal is influenced by location, income and education level.

Data from FinScope Consumer Survey Highlights Moz

In urban areas 44% of the adult population uses charcoal for cooking, and 29% firewood, while in rural areas, 84% rely on firewood and only 8% use charcoal for cooking. Other forms of energy for cooking, such as electricity also differ considerably depending on location. 17% of adults in urban areas use electricity to cook, and only 2% in rural areas; LPG and solar power is used by 7% and 0.5% of urban population respectively. Solar power has a slightly greater presence in the rural areas, where 1% of the adult population use it for cooking.

The use of different cooking fuels is also strongly influenced by income and level of education. In terms of income, survey information from 2019 shows that firewood is preferred by 74% of people with low income, and 71% of people with no income. In terms of education, 82% of the adult population with no education use firewood for cooking, as opposed to 4% of adults with tertiary education. 94% of adults with tertiary education use either charcoal, grid electricity or LPG.

ICS Ownership and affordability

Based on the 2019 survey, only 37% of the surveyed population stated to have purchased their cookstove, while more than half claimed to have made their stoves themselves. The next figures from UNDP-UNCDF show the types of stoves used in Mozambique in 2019 and the costs distribution for cooking stoves purchased by users'.  The most common stoves are simple firewood and charcoal stoves and the cost for the most popular stoves ranges between USD 2-4.

Survey from Endev in 2019 also shows that households prefer paying in instalments as compared to one-time investment.

Source: UNDP, UNCDF

Repair and Replacement

Donor programmes such as EnDev and AVSI have linked ICS suppliers with the carbon trading programmes. Thus, the businesses are incentivised to offer regular repair and replacement services to adhere to the carbon credit regulations. For the ICS consumers, the replacement rate after the product life cycle has ended is also high. For e.g., some ICS business reported as high as 75% of earlier consumers buying a replacement.

Consumer Awareness

The consumer awareness about the ICS technology is generally low and there are also no government led awareness campaigns so far. Thus, there is a need for sensitisation and awareness programmes for ICS end-users.

Access to finance

Overall, access to financial services is increasing largely due to mobile money but still varies greatly from one province to another. As of 2019, 21% of Mozambicans had access to formal institutions such as banks; 22% had access to other non-bank institutes such as micro finance, saving and credit cooperatives, mobile money and pension funds; 11% to informal savings groups called Xitiques and 46% did not have access to any. For more information about access to consumer finance, please refer to this chapter.

Savings potential

In general, the average monthly expenditure on cooking fuel in Mozambique is 350 MZN (survey from 2016).

In rural areas, firewood is collected free of charge. Only 38% of all Mozambicans households using firewood actually purchased their wood fuel (based on dataset from 2004-2014). A survey from 2009 calculated that a family of 5 needs around 70 kg of charcoal in Maputo. In 2017, a 70 kg charcoal bag cost around USD 20 (1272 MZN) in Maputo. The households usually buy charcoal in small amount as they are either unable to pay for it in bulk or cannot transport bulk amount from the market. On average, they buy 2 kg of charcoal for a family of five. With an improved cookstoves, the charcoal usage can drastically be reduced and thus, directly impacts the savings. Thus, in urban areas, where the cooking fuel has to be purchased, there is a strong financial incentive for savings from ICS. However, since households buy cooking fuels in small quantity, sensitization is needed to make them aware of this savings benefit and also offer cookstoves in instalment payments so that they can afford it.

In rural areas where firewood is collected free of cost, the savings potential (financial aspect) is not of most importance and thus, the awareness program should focus on other aspects of the ICS such as less fuelwood used means less travel for firewood collection, health impact etc.

Further Information

• Mozambique- Country Information
• Mozambique Electricity Situation
• ICS in Mozambique: Market Landscape
• ICS in Mozambique: Market Size
• ICS in Mozambique: Challenges and Recommendations for the Private Sector