چالش های ایجاد زنجیره تامین خرده فروشی زراعتی Challenges of creating sustainable agri-retail supply chains

 Horticulture Sector in India India, endowed with diverse soil and climate regions, is home to a variety of horticulture crops which contribute to a significant part of the total agricultural produce in the country. The production of horticultural crops has been expanding since independence. According to the Planning Commission Working Group on Horticulture and Plantation Crops (2011), the area and production under horticultural crops have increased from 12.77 million ha and 96.56 million tonnes respectively in 1991-92 to 20.04 million ha and 221.20 million tonnes in 2009-10. Horticulture contributes about 30% of India’s agricultural GDP from 13.08% of the cropped area and accounts for 37% of the total exports of agricultural commodities. Due to the increased investment and focused attention, there has been a spectacular change in the production and productivity of horticultural crops. Fruits and vegetables are largely consumed fresh in India with only a very small quantity going into the manufacture of various processed products such as pickles, ketchup, jams, chips and fruit drinks. The Government of India is aware that the horticulture sector is connected with generating employment, improving the economic conditions of farmers and providing nutritional value to people. (Economic Survey 2004-2005). Steps have been taken to increase production, improve productivity of land, improve efficiency of agri-food supply chains and increase exports to enhance the economic strength of this sector. Various studies and policy documents have highlighted the inadequacies of various types of infrastructure. The Report of the Planning Commission Working Group on Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure and Policy Required for Internal and External Trade for the Xi Five Year Plan 2007-12 highlights the need to upgrade infrastructure in a whole range of areas such as marketing infrastructure; post-harvest processing, handling, packaging and transportation; marketing information and institutional infrastructure; etc. The horticulture sector is also faced with frequent and sharp price fluctuations; poor quality and consistency; issues in harvest / postharvest handling leading to large amount of wastage and a lengthy food chain. Though India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China, the export competitiveness among the Indian producers remains low. Supply constraints, yield gaps and logistics cost affect the country’s competitive and comparative advantage.