Overhauling Agricultural Storage: A Multilevel, Multipurpose Framework for Supply Chain Optimisation and Waste Minimisation

Abstract

One-third of India’s horticultural produce, in terms of fruits and vegetables, gets wasted every year. This is mainly because of the poor facilities of cold storage. There are also wide fluctuations in the pricing of agricultural products, mainly onions and potatoes. The entire existing policy framework and warehousing facilities need revamping and redesigning. There are wide fluctuations in the pricing of agricultural products, mainly onions and potatoes. The entire existing policy framework and warehousing facilities need revamping and redesigning. The present study aimed to present a multilevel, multipurpose framework for supply chain optimisation and waste minimisation. To conduct the study, primary data using structured questionnaires and interviews were collected. As for the secondary data, different State and Central Government Ministry publications were collected. The findings revealed that the warehouses need to be conducive to the present transportation modes. Supply chain does not just start or terminate with the warehouse; it also has to ensure smooth transportation. The primary aim behind the construction or renovation of the gowdowns scheme includes creating scientific capacity for storing and related facilities within the rural sections. This was to help farmers meet their requirements to store what they produced on the farm, the agricultural raw materials and promote the grading standards, also controlling the quality of agricultural outputs so that marketability is improved and preventing distress sales just after the harvest is done. The study entirely depends on which products and markets are being served. Of course, the proportion and cost potential evident in warehousing in India make it essential to study it as a separate unit from other elements in the supply chain industry.