The supply chain and its development concept of fresh mulberry fruit in Thailand: Observations in Nan Province, the largest production area

Abstract

Nan province, the biggest cultivation area of fresh mulberry fruit in Thailand is located in four districts: Chaloem Phra Kiat, Bor Klua, Tha Wang Pha, and Wiang Sa. The production yield of mulberry is about 848.6 kg/acre/year; however, it is mostly sold as frozen product. The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture intends to develop a new marketing channel for fresh mulberry fruit. The present study was to explore the current situation of mulberry fruit supply chain management in Nan province and to propose a new supply chain model for fresh mulberry. To gather information about supply chain management, the supply chain operation reference (SCOR) model was utilized to investigate four members of the mulberry supply chains, including growers, primary middlemen, secondary middlemen, and customers. The SCOR model possibly identifies critical points in the current supply chain and five obstacles in the distribution of fresh mulberries that are improperly handled, affecting market channels and product quality due to a lack of suitable knowledge and technology for postharvest handling. Active packaging technology of fresh mulberries from a previous study was introduced to design a new supply chain model, and it was found that this technology could extend the product's shelf life and preserve its freshness. Although the cost of the active packaging technology leads to a much higher cost on the newly developed supply chain compared to that of the traditional supply chain, the developed model could enhance new market channels, including selling prices, and provide growers with more benefits than the traditional supply chain.