نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Despite the existence of a marketing infrastructure, the use of new methods and ideas including branding in rice marketing and sales has been neglected. The present study was therefore conducted to strategically analyze branding in the rice value chain in Mazandaran Province. The statistical population consisted of 250 experts, specialists, practitioners, and entrepreneurs associated with the rice value chain in the province, all of whom were selected through a census method. Ultimately, 203 individuals participated in the study. To assess the validity of the questionnaire, the opinions of active and knowledgeable professors and experts in marketing and branding were obtained, and the reliability of the instrument was confirmed with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.986. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire within the framework of the PESTEL analysis model across six dimensions: political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal. Based on the mean and coefficient of variation, the economic, environmental, political, and legal dimensions were ranked first to fourth, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that in the economic dimension, the components of business environment, production costs, market demand, economic growth, and investment; in the environmental dimension, integrated pest management and farm stabilization, development of civil institutions, compatible cultivars, and sustainable agricultural practices; in the political dimension, institutional support, pricing and new technologies, market policies, peripheral threat factors, and executive factors; and in the legal dimension, legal incentives, agricultural legal issues, and production support laws were identified. The findings can assist organizations, executive bodies, and farmers active in the rice production chain to enhance productivity and income through branding and value chain improvement.
کلیدواژهها English
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Due to its significant share in the household food basket and its nutritional importance, rice holds considerable potential for marketing and increasing producers' income. However, shortcomings in applying modern agricultural techniques and innovative marketing ideas have prevented this potential from being fully realized. In recent years, branding has gained attention in agricultural product marketing, market transparency, and value chain development. Researchers have concluded that the real value of products and services lies not in the products themselves, but in the minds of customers, and that branding creates this perceived value. Therefore, a brand is one of the most valuable assets of any organization, and its proper management can lead to greater market share and profitability.
Branding and enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural products particularly rice can help utilize unused capacities, promote production and exports, generate foreign exchange, increase rural household income, and improve livelihoods. A favorable brand can assist farmers in adjusting production structures, improving product quality, and enhancing agricultural productivity. Challenges in rice marketing include lack of coordination among value chain actors, asymmetric market prices, low processing and added value, and inadequate support policies. Rice farmers are the least benefited stakeholders because they lack the necessary information and skills to interact with other value chain actors. Improving this process can enable all stakeholders to benefit from branding, create marketing opportunities for selected rice varieties, secure better prices, and reduce price transparency issues.
Materials and Methods
A researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data, and its validity was confirmed by a panel of specialists. A pre-test with 30 respondents was conducted to determine reliability, and Cronbach's alpha values exceeded the threshold of 0.75, confirming the reliability of the instrument. The statistical population consisted of 250 experts, specialists, practitioners, and entrepreneurs involved in the rice value chain in Mazandaran Province, all of whom were selected through a census method, with 203 individuals ultimately participating. The questionnaire comprised two parts: the first covered respondents' personal and professional characteristics, and the second addressed their views on factors affecting rice branding, based on the PESTEL model across six dimensions. Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract the components of each dimension.
Discussion and conclusion
Attention to the value chain of agricultural products, including rice as a strategic commodity, is a fundamental step toward increasing the income and welfare of producers. Given rice's high marketing potential, branding can help increase income and target the value chain more effectively. A comprehensive model incorporating the perspectives of managers and experts in the rice sector was introduced. This model forms an important part of the broader theory of branding in rice marketing and can assist organizations, executive bodies, and farmers in improving productivity and the value chain, ultimately increasing sectoral income.
The first author was the principal investigator and was responsible for conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation. The supervisor contributed to study design, supervision, and manuscript review. The advisor provided scientific guidance and methodological support throughout the study.
The data are available within the article.
The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Rice Research Institute of Iran. All procedures were conducted in accordance with relevant institutional and national ethical guidelines. The authors declare that data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and any other form of scientific misconduct were strictly avoided.
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
