Title: Factors influencing the choice of marketing channel by rice producers: evidence from the Mekong Delta Region, Vietnam

Authors: Tien D.N. Ho; John K.M. Kuwornu; Takuji W. Tsusaka; Loc T. Nguyen; Avishek Datta

Addresses: Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand ' Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand; School of Graduate Studies, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana ' Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand; Department of Development and Sustainability, SERD, AIT, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand ' Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand ' Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand

Abstract: The study examined the factors influencing the choice of rice marketing channel by smallholder rice producers in the Mekong Delta Region (MDR) of Vietnam. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect data from 405 rice producers in three provinces, namely, Can Tho, Dong Thap, and Tien Giang. The empirical results from the logit regression model reveal that distance to markets, asset endowment, farm size, sales quantity, price of rice, contract farming, organisational membership, access to credit, extension services, access to transportation, and storage facilities, influenced farmers' choice between direct and indirect channels. The findings suggest that policies should aim at setting up the appropriate floor price, improving transport infrastructure, providing formal credit and input subsidy, supporting farmer organisations, and strengthening extension services to help these farmers improve their livelihoods.

Keywords: logistic regression; marketing channel; middlemen; Mekong Delta; rice; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVCM.2021.119398

International Journal of Value Chain Management, 2021 Vol.12 No.4, pp.336 - 356

Received: 07 May 2020
Accepted: 30 Jan 2021

Published online: 02 Dec 2021 *

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