Developing a National Eco-System for sustainable vegatable supply chain in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables supply chain in Sri Lanka has always been a contemporary topic due to its significant value to the economy of the country. The existing fruits and vegetables supply chain is already suffering from dilemmas such as high price fluctuations, excess supply and wastage, involvement of large number of intermediaries and lack of infrastructure. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has put a tremendous pressure on already trembling supply chains. Sudden lock downs have led to disruption of existing distribution channels resulting farmers throwing away millions of tons of fresh fruits and vegetables while consumers in urban areas paying extremely high prices for fresh produce. The current situations clearly demonstrate the need for a more responsive and integrated vegetables supply chain for Sri Lanka. This paper attempts to create a conceptual model for the vegetable supply chain ecosystem for Sri Lanka.