Despite the critical role played by intermediaries in marketing services and trade, along with various initiatives undertaken to enhance this role, fresh fruits and vegetables traders in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania are still discontented with the intermediaries’ inability to undertake marketing services roles. This paper examined the constraints to intermediaries’ role in provision of market and marketing services for urban fresh fruits and vegetables supply chain and recommended strategies for improving the same. Qualitative approach was adopted and data were drawn from a purposive sample of 48 respondents through in-depth interviews and non-participant observation. Thematic data analysis strategy was adopted in which researchers transcribed data, read and familiarized themselves with data, coded them, searched and reviewed themes, named and finalized the analysis process. It was revealed in this study that, intermediaries’ role in marketing services for urban fruits and vegetables supply chain was confronted by poor coordination and information, inadequate knowledge and awareness, poor market infrastructure and geography and poor transportation services. The authors recommend to the government through ministries in charge of agriculture and trade to take serious measures to improve market and marketing services of fresh fruits and vegetable services through building storage centres, educating intermediaries and farmers on best marketing practices and furnishing farmer and intermediaries with information on international available market opportunities for fresh fruits and vegetables
Despite the critical role played by transportation in the supply chain of urban fresh fruits and vegetable, poor transportation continues to threaten the supply chain of fruits and vegetables. This study examined challenges of transportation in the supply chain of urban fresh fruits and vegetables in Dar es Salaam City, with a major focus on handling, connection and distribution. Qualitative approach was adopted and data were drawn from a purposive sample of 65 respondents using interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and non-participant observation. Thematic analysis was adopted with the help of MAXQDA 10 software. Findings, proved that transportation challenges were related to inappropriate handling tools, poor transport technology, inadequate knowledge of handling fruits and vegetables by the workers, inadequate number of transportation vehicles and poor maintenance of storage facilities. It was further reported that inadequate road network and connectivity characterised by remote location of the farms, poorly constructed roads and bridges, narrow roads, geographical constraints as well as lack of appropriate transport system challenged the transportation role. Other challenges wererelated to lack of information exchange mechanism, inadequate distribution system resulting from absence of distribution and central storage, corruption and bribery, as well as lack of insurance cover. The study advocates for the provision of handling tools, special vehicles for transporting these produce, improvement of road infrastructures, introduction of processing industries and provision of insurance cover to intermediaries. It further proposes to institutions responsible for curbing corruption such as the PCCB and police to address corruption challenge
Despite the critical role played by intermediaries in storage services of urban fresh fruits and vegetables, storage services of urban fresh fruits and vegetables in Dar es Salaam are still poorly provided by intermediaries. In this paper, we examine the factors constraining intermediaries in providing storage services in the sector. A qualitative case study was adopted and data were collected using documentary review, in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and non-participant observations based on the purposive sample size of 73 respondents. Thematic data analysis strategy was adopted and data were analyzed using MAXQDA 20 software. Findings showed that the intermediaries are generally constrained by technological-related factors, the inadequacy of funds to invest in modern storage, limited knowledge and awareness of modern storage, excessive temperature and atmospheric conditions. We recommend that, in order to improve storage services installation of modern storage facilities in markets and collection centers, providing loans to intermediaries to buy modern packaging and packing facilities, improving market infrastructures, and training intermediaries on the importance of proper storage and how to use contemporary methodology could solve the problem at hand.
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