Supply Chain Management (SCM) in agriculture plays a crucial role in ensuring that agricultural products efficiently move from farms to consumers while maintaining quality and safety standards.
SCM in agriculture handles the flow of goods from inputs like seeds and fertilizers to reaching consumers’ tables
Effective SCM in agriculture requires the cooperation and coordination of various stakeholders, including input suppliers, farmers, traders, distribution centers, and retailers.
The main goal of SCM is to reduce inefficiencies, improve product quality, and enhance profitability throughout the supply chain.
Definition
Supply Chain Management is the systematic flow of goods and services, including:
Movement of goods
Storage of raw materials
In-process inventory
Consumption of good
The ultimate objective of SCM is to reduce inventory costs while ensuring product availability whenever required
Agricultural SCM Definition (Mondal S, 2018): “The management of the movement of agricultural commodities from the farm through the rural and urban markets to reach the doorsteps of end consumers, both household and industrial consumers.”
Advantages of Agricultural Supply Chain Management
1. Reduced Product Losses
SCM optimizes transportation and storage, minimizing spoilage.
This is especially critical for perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat.
For instance, implementing cold storage solutions for dairy or meat products helps significantly reduce wastage.
2. Knowledge and Technology Sharing
SCM promotes knowledge-sharing, enabling farmers to adopt advanced techniques for better productivity.
An example includes precision farming, where data on soil health, irrigation, and climate conditions enables farmers to make informed decisions to optimize resources.
3. Better Flow of Information
Farmers benefit from real-time insights into market trends and consumer demands, allowing them to align production accordingly.
This minimizes overproduction and price fluctuations, ensuring more stable incomes.
4. Transparency and Traceability
Technologies like Blockchain enable tracking produce from farm to fork, ensuring food safety and quality control.
Consumers can verify details such as organic sourcing and ethical farming practices, which build trust and transparency.
5. Risk-Sharing
The agriculture sector is susceptible to climatic variations and market uncertainties.
SCM facilitates risk-sharing among chain partners, such as through crop insurance schemes backed by cooperatives or traders.
Stages in Agricultural Supply Chain
1. Input Suppliers
Provide essential agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and farming equipment.
An efficient SCM ensures timely delivery of quality products at fair prices, which is crucial for farming success.
2. Farmers
Farmers grow crops and livestock, where SCM focuses on sustainable agricultural practices, such as organic farming and water management.
3. Processors
Convert raw agricultural produce into consumer-ready products, such as:
Sugar processing: Sugarcane → Sugar
Wheat processing: Wheat → Flour
4. Wholesalers/Distributors
Handle large-scale storage and distribution, ensuring goods are managed efficiently across regions.
5. Retailers
Sell produce directly to consumers, e.g., supermarkets promoting fresh, locally sourced produce as a key selling point.
6. Consumers
End-users benefit from high-quality, nutritious, and safe agricultural products.
Processes in an Agricultural Supply Chain
1. Cycle View
Customer Order Cycle: Starts when a retailer receives an order.
For example, a retailer restocks organic tomatoes based on consumer demand.
Replenishment Cycle:
Wholesalers supply products to retailers to maintain stock levels, and seasonal demand forecasting plays a crucial role.
Manufacturing/Processing Cycle:
Factories process raw produce into consumer-ready products, such as mango juice or dried fruit.
Procurement Cycle:
Farmers procure seeds and farming inputs, ensuring efficient SCM to secure quality seeds at the right planting season.
2. Push/Pull View
Push Processes
Driven by forecasted demand, resulting in producing and pushing goods through the supply chain.
For example, staple grains are grown based on anticipated demand, stored for long durations, and pushed into markets.
Pull Processes
Initiated by actual customer demand, reducing excess inventory.
For instance, fresh strawberries are only ordered and delivered according to seasonal demand, which minimizes wastage due to short shelf life.
Drivers of SCM Performance in Agriculture
Inventory Management
Effective management of raw materials and finished goods ensures that perishable items like vegetables remain fresh and reduce wastage.
Transportation
Timely transportation is critical for maintaining freshness, with cold-chain logistics for dairy and meat products and quick deliveries for fresh produce playing a key role.
Facilities
Strategic locations for warehouses and production sites minimize transport costs and delivery time, benefiting both farmers and consumers.
Information Flow
Real-time data-sharing platforms provide insights into market prices, weather forecasts, and consumer trends, facilitating better decision-making.
For example, a mobile app giving rainfall forecasts helps farmers plan their crops and irrigation schedules.
Scope of Agricultural Supply Chain Management
Building Farmer Relationships
Formation of cooperatives and farmer groups helps smallholders negotiate better prices and share resources, enhancing collective marketing and sales.
Standardization
Establishing quality standards across the supply chain, such as GlobalGAP certifications, ensures consistency in safety and production quality.
Information Flow
Clear communication between processors and farmers about expected demand for products like organic potatoes enables timely and efficient planting.
Performance Optimization
Continuous monitoring and evaluation of each supply chain segment improve productivity and efficiency, with yield data analysis helping farmers adopt best practices.
Promotional Activities Needed in Agricultural SCM
Public-Private Partnerships
Collaboration between the government and private sectors to invest in rural infrastructure, such as roads, storage facilities, and internet access.
Investment in Transportation, Communication, and Electricity
Improved transportation and communication networks enable faster deliveries and effective marketing, with digital platforms connecting farmers directly to urban markets.
Subsidies and Co-Financing
Initiatives like subsidizing irrigation systems or co-financing greenhouses help farmers manage risks and invest in technology.
Market Information and Statistics
A central market price monitoring system provides real-time data, ensuring transparency and fair trade, preventing farmers from being exploited by intermediaries.
