Ebooks

This book specially aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of basic and advanced concepts of supply chain management and logistics. It highlights the role of supply chain and logistics particularly in agricultural sector. The book has its own unique features. It brings out the subject in a very simple and lucid manner for easy and comprehensive understanding of the basic concepts, its intricacies, procedures and practices. This book will help the readers to have a broader view on Supply Chain and Logistics Management. The language used in this book is easy and understandable. It will help students to improve their vocabulary of Logistics terms and understand the matter in a better and happier way. The book is divided into six chapters.

Mentzer et al. (2001) defined SCM as ‘the systematic, strategic coordination of the traditional business functions within a particular organization and across businesses within the supply chain, for the purposes of improving the long-term performance of the individual companies and the supply chain as a whole’. According to Walters and Lancaster (2000), supply chain management is the management of the interface relationships among key stakeholders and business functions that occur in the maximization of value creation which is driven by customer needs satisfaction and facilitated by efficient logistics management.

An agriculture supply chain system comprises organizations/cooperatives that are responsible for the production and distribution of vegetable/Fruits/Cereals/ Pulses or animal-based products. In general, we distinguish two main types: ‘Agriculture food supply chains for fresh agricultural products’ (such as fresh vegetables, flowers, fruit). In general, these chains may comprise growers, auctions, wholesalers, importers and exporters, retailers and speciality shops and their input and service suppliers. Basically, all of these stages leave the intrinsic characteristics of the product grown or produced untouched. The main processes are the handling, conditioned storing, packing, transportation and especially trading of these goods.

Agricultural policies in the past have witnessed a series of iterative changes following the economic reforms during the 1990s that marked a Division of Agricultural Economics. Though many of the reform processes were not initiated to directly affect the agriculture sector, it was affected indirectly (Chand, 2004). The mounting stock of food grains has partly been due to the weak purchasing power of the poor in the country. Nevertheless, the problem associated with buffer stock management and degradation of natural resources in some regions has triggered a debate to redefine the agricultural policies. As a remedial measure, it has been suggested that India should diversify its agriculture and get a foothold in the world market (Radhakrishna and Reddy, 2004).  

Supply Chain is defined as the movement of materials as they flow from their source to the end customer. SCM is a continuously evolving management philosophy that seeks to unify the collective productive competencies and resources of the business functions found both within the enterprise and outside in the firm’s allied business partners located along intersecting supply channels into a highly competitive, customer-enriching supply system focused on developing innovative solutions and synchronizing the flow of marketplace products, services, and information to create unique, individualized sources of customer value.

As the population of the world rises, there is an increase in the demand for food production. Agricultural packaging helps farmers and makers to deliver food in the handiest approach with no loss. It eliminates unnecessary wastage of food during post-harvest treatment procedures, production process, storage, and transportation. It ensures short and long-term stability between the farmers and the consumers. Pesticides are completely toxic and reactive and thus need correct packaging. In agricultural packaging of pesticides, pouches with excellent quality standards are used that improve sealing and handling issues and avoid any malfunctioning. Ventilation is very important in agricultural packaging that permits the warmth and to cool quickly. Loss of water of the products should be minimized to let them stay fresh for a longer time.

The full form of ‘ISO’ is the International Organization for Standardization. ISO -QMS was founded in the year 1987. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, operating in 162 plus countries. The ISO is an international standard-setting body that consists of the representatives from various national standards organizations. The ISO works on formulating the standards and guidelines for a variety of businesses and other purposes and publishes technical reports. The word ‘ISO’ is derived from the Latin term ‘isos’ which means ‘Equal for everyone’. It simply means that all the elements of the international std are equally applicable to all types of business.

GK Enterprise –Profile in brief Established in 2000 to provide Management Consultancy to all types of industries Centrally Located in Mumbai Consists of Group of Engineers having Industry Experience of more than 20 years Completed more than 500 plus ISO Certifications all over India & abroad. Certifications done for following areas –manufacturing, service, Education, Medical and projects business Established with a purpose of improving work efficiency of all types of business in India & abroad.

Abdul Kareem Mohamed Yasin, GDSCM. (2018). “AI Technologies Enhancing Supply Chain Management“. Retrieved from SIPMM: https://publication.sipmm.edu.sg/ai- technologies- enhancing-supply-chain-management, accessed 15/12/2019. John Brownlee. (2019). “14 different type in machine learning”. Retrieved from https:// machinelearningmastery.com/types-of-learning-in-machine-learning/,accessed 15/12/2019. N.P. Singh, Ranjit Kumar and R.P. Singh, Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 19 (Conference No.) 2006 pp 23-36 Diversification of Indian Agriculture: Composition, Determinants and Trade Implications Nillian Low, ADPSM. (2019).”Integrating IoT for effective supply chain“. Retrieved from SIPMM: https://publication.sipmm.edu.sg/integrating-ai-iot-effective-supply-chain, accessed 15/12/2019. Sigfox.com. (2019). “IoT soil condition monitoring sensors will optimize agriculture through data”. Retrieved from https://www.sigfox.com/en/iot-soil-condition-monitoring- sensors- will-optimize-agriculture-through-data-2, accessed 15/12/2019.