Supply Chain Management of Litchi: A Case Study in Sonitpur District of Assam

Abstract

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn), an important sub-tropical evergreen fruit crop belonging to family Sapindaceae, is believed to have originated in China, where it has been grown in Southern Guangdong state for thousands of years. It is highly specific to climatic requirements and probably due to this reason its cultivation is restricted to few countries in the world. In India, litchi was introduced in the 18th century through Burma, and from there, it spread to many countries. India and China account for 91 percent of the world litchi production. Litchi is one of the important fruit crop commercially grown in Assam. Due to its perishable nature and having very short shelf life, Supply Chain Management (SCM) plays a vital role. Though India is an agrarian economy the business faces various challenges in terms of infrastructure facilities. The present article is an attempt to explain the production, distribution and Supply chain management of Litchi in Sonitpur District of Assam. Most of the litchi growers belong to marginal and small category. Hence, the involvement of marginal farmers is more in Litchi plantation as compared to other category of farmers. Major share of produce traded through market intermediaries. The linear trend model was used to check the dynamicity of the area and production data of Litchi in India. Due to perishable in nature, the litchi farmers are suffering severely due to wastage of litchi throughout the intermittent steps in existing supply chain of litchi.