Factors impeding citrus supply chain in Central Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is one of the largest citrus producer and leading exporter of Kinnow in world. Average production of this vital fruit comparatively lower than potential and in result, minor contributions comes to national economy and livelihoods of the growers. Present study was designed to analyze factors impeding citrus supply chain in Toba Tek Singh District of the Punjab province. Through multistage sampling technique 120 citrus growers were selected. Data were collected through face to face interview technique with the help of structured, validated, reliable and pre-tested questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed by using Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings unveiled that black marketing of fertilizers, shortage of labor; lack of technical knowledge and shortage of finance were major factors impeding production of citrus crop. Monopoly of middle-man; late payments by the dealers; lack of storage facilities; high storage cost and less price of citrus set by the government were leading barriers of marketing. Study recommended that development of effective marketing system, subsidies on inputs and initiation of direct marketing for small farmers in particular. Study further urges development of affordable machinery for growers to encounter labor shortage problems.

Critical Issues at the Upstream Level in Sustainable Supply Chain Management of Agri-Food Industries: Evidence from Pakistan’s Citrus Industry

“…After a thorough review of these studies, the 30 constraints that we identified in the FGDs were sub-divided into two distinct categories, i.e., production and marketing constraints. These listed production and marketing constraints were also supported by the literature as they are well documented in previous research (e.g., [11,12,24,33,36]), and therefore are more applicable. For example, inadequate extension and technical information, poor quality of improved nursery plants, irrigation water shortages, infestations of disease, pest attack, and climate change are frequently acknowledged in previous studies affecting supply chain participation by farmers [12].…”

“…For example, Johnson [25] estimated that these losses were about 40% in Pakistani citrus fruit. Some studies have shown that 35% of Pakistan's total citrus production is lost in the process of supplying fruit from one place to another [12]. The percentage of total post-harvest losses is even higher at the farmer level [26].…”

“…In Pakistan, the fruit-bearing life of citrus orchard trees is 20 to 30 years, which is low compared with other citrus producing countries, where its span goes up to 50 years [12]. The basic factor affecting the citrus supply chain is a lesser use of high-quality citrus production techniques.…”

“…Farmers do not realize the orchard as an endeavor; rather, they grow citrus as additional crops in the field. So, they are not able to fulfill the demand of the citrus crop at the time of need; they create a huge gap in citrus production as they do intercrop different crops in the citrus orchard, which cause unfavorable losses to the citrus plants and production [12]. Intercropping of valuable crops may increase crop diversification and increase the sustainability of family farms, as crop diversification improves food security and household diets, and reduces market and weather risks, not to mention environmental sustainability [13].…”

Influence of varying environmental conditions on biennial bearing habit of Kinnow fruit (Citrus nobilis Lour x C. deliciosa Tenora) grown at different clusters in the Punjab province, Pakistan

“…This phenomenon is termed as alternate bearing to affect citrus orchard productivity and profitability (Davis et al, 2004) along with marketing issues like superfluity; uneven supply and price oscillation (Moss et al, 1974). In Pakistan, biennial bearing impinge on supply-chain by recording 40% (Johnson, 2006) and 35% fruit loss (Khan, 2008) with recoding more profit margin of brokers, buyers and exporters during heavy bearing season (Usman et al, 2018).…”