Improving income positions of primary producers in international marketing channels: the Lake Victoria EU Nile perch case

Abstract

Although fair distribution of incomes within marketing channels and systems receives increasing attention in companies' corporate social responsibility policies, the marketing literature offers few insights that may be helpful to initiate projects that improve incomes of primary producers in mainstream marketing channels. This article deals with the question of how projects that aim at increasing primary producers' incomes can be initiated in mainstream marketing channels: Who is the channel member that is best suited to take initiative, and why should it be this partner? The study analyzes problems at primary levels of a fresh fish channel from East Africa to the European Union, and it examines from downstream whether channel partners are aware of the problems and how responsible they feel for them, and it assesses their willingness to take action. Propositions on the initiation of projects that improve primary producers' incomes are developed and implications are discussed.