Redefining the Supply Chain Model on the Milicz Carp Market

Abstract

The growing demand for cheap food is a key factor in maintaining long supply chains. Increasing the distance between the producer and the consumer results not only in certain problems in maintaining profitability by small, local producers, but also in a threat to food safety. One way to counteract these adverse effects is to sell food through short supply chains. They shape the market in the direction of maintaining care for the sustainable development of all food production, but above all, maintaining and strengthening the production capacity ensuring the transparency of the high-quality food production process from an identifiable source of origin. The purpose of this article is to indicate the conditions on the side of both carp producers and consumers, conducive to building short supply chains, and determine whether they can be an effective alternative sales model in Polish conditions. The article focuses on the possibilities of developing short supply chains on the carp market in the Barycz Valley, concentrating the largest area of carp ponds in Europe. The research (surveys) included the five largest fishing farms and, on the recipient side, individual consumers and restaurants located in the Barycz Valley and Wrocław, and agritourism facilities in the researched area. The obtained results confirmed that short supply chains in the area of Polish aquaculture are characterized by high implementation potential. However, it is necessary to modify the current sales model so that the producers’ expectations regarding the sales volume and the obtained price are balanced with the expectations of consumers articulating the will to buy fish at a given time, place, and price. This, in turn, will ensure the high economic efficiency of fishing farms, and consumers will have access to a high-quality product.