Examining the drivers for rice exporters' willingness to adopt traceability management and its impact

Purpose Food consumers globally demand safe products that are traceable from farm to fork. This study examines the willingness of rice exporting companies to adopt product traceability, factors affecting this organizational behaviour and its impact on outcomes such as trust with customers and service level. Design/methodology/approach We used a quantitative approach to draw a probable sample of 157 from a sampling frame of 676 companies registered with the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan. A structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was developed to gauge the responses of export managers through an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyze data. Findings The results reveal that government regulations, customer pressure and the price of technology significantly affect the willingness of rice exporting companies to adopt a product traceability system. Moreover, customer trust positively mediates the relationship between a rice exporter's willingness to adopt traceability and service level. Research limitations/implications This study offers policy implications for regulatory bodies (macro level impact) and practical implications for rice supply chain partners such as farmers, processors and exporters (micro level impact). Originality/value There is a notable dearth of literature concerning the producer's viewpoint and organizational behaviour towards adopting product traceability. Addressing this research gap, our study contributes to the literature by proposing an analytical framework to examine the willingness of rice exporters to adopt a product traceability system, along with its antecedents and outcomes.