Transportation Of Agricultural Products Research Articles

Agricultural product harvest equilibrium with transportation bottleneck and random disasters

The decentralized planting practices of farmers often result in non-cooperative harvesting and transportation of agricultural products. The high concentration of harvesting demand can cause transportation and processing bottlenecks, resulting in queuing congestion, which in turn affects farmers’ decisions on harvest timing. Thus, the fully competed decision-making process leads to a game equilibrium. To solve this harvest equilibrium problem, a nonlinear equation model with transportation bottleneck capacity constraints is developed. Assumptions to be made are that the value of the pre-harvest product is a non-negative continuously differentiable strictly concave function about the harvest time, and that post-harvest losses are a linear increasing function of queuing time. Subsequently, the model is further extended to incorporate the effects of random natural disasters. Additionally, this paper derives optimal harvest schedules for comparison. A numerical example is used to analyze how the related parameters and the probability of disasters influence farmers’ harvest decisions and the unit benefits of agricultural produce. The analysis results show that a larger total volume of agricultural products prompts earlier harvesting and reduces unit benefits in both equilibrium and optimal harvesting scenarios. Expanding bottleneck capacity allows farmers to harvest closer to the optimal time and increases unit benefits, although the marginal increase diminishes at the margin as bottleneck capacity increases. Increasing the queuing penalty within a range leads to an earlier harvest and reduces the unit benefits in equilibrium and optimality until a critical value is reached, beyond which it has no effect. A higher probability of natural disasters will incentivize farmers to harvest earlier, which in turn will reduce unit benefits.

An overview of alien, invasive Microlepidoptera species, potential pests in agri- horti- or silviculture, recently found in Hungary

AbstractAlong with climate change, or by transportation of agricultural products, such as fruits and ornamental plants, their alien insect pests have also started to appear in Hungary. Although these pest species are sometimes sparsely studied, their biology and interactions with their host plants provide key information for monitoring their spread and identifying their vulnerable points, targets for developing methods preventing their overpopulation. In this review article we have collected data on newly emerged moth species recently found in Hungary that might threaten plantations in Hungary in the near future.

The Effects of International Transportation Process on Food Safety and Quality in Export of Agricultural Products: Sample Application in an Export Oriented Organisation

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the international transportation process on food safety and quality, especially in agricultural products. One of the main ideas of the current research is to provide information and improvement areas on the general issues (without the risks of food safety) through international transport of agricultural products.. Theoretical Framework: Today, access to safe food, sustainability and traceability, contain great importance. Particularly, the control points to be carried out in the processes related to loading, transporting, transporting to the points of sale, unloading and storing, when necessary, from the collection of fields, greenhouses and similar production areas of crops covered by crop production should be determined correctly. It is necessary to carry out these controls according to the relevant food safety legislation and standards applied within the scope of food safety and customer demands, and to evaluate the results obtained for prevention and improvement purposes. Method: The methodology of the research is selected as a sample application on a specific case study. The selected company is an import-export company based in Hungary. During the identification and classification of process data, process parameters, process objectives and results, which come from Kropy Fruit Hungary Kft, for all control points in these processes, were evaluated. Results and Discussion: The results of this study are examined by analyzing the common requirements of the management system standards used for food safety purposes. As results, the used data in this study is the analysis results and the application of the relevant food safety standard requirements, the implementation of the legal requirements within the scope of the transportation processes, the identification and elimination of the elements threatening the food safety in the international transportation and storage processes. As an improvement, reduction of the losses at these stages and recommendations for similar organizations for safe food transport were discussed. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of the research are discussed and how the results can be practiced in real life organizations are indicated as recommendations. The risks and non-compliances arising from the employees of the organization were also examined and the effects of human factors on food safety in these processes and recommendations for improvement were developed. Originality/Value: The originality of the research comes from the fact that even though food safety and quality are popular topics in the specific research field; the effects of transportation process specifically in agricultural products and how the related regulations and standards can influence it positively were still questionnable. Therefore, the value of the current research is bringing a new questionnable area and its solution to the academic field, while touching to real life, practical examples and considering new improvement and innovative solutions.

Amelioration in nanobiosensors for the control of plant diseases: current status and future challenges

The increase in global population has had a tremendous impact on sustainable agri-food practices. With the growth in world population, various modern technologies are being utilized that more often result in the opening of tremendous opportunities in the agriculture and food sectors. Nanotechnology is used in agri-food sectors for a variety of purposes, including enhancing flavor, pest/pathogen diagnosis, production, processing, storage, packaging, and transportation of agricultural products. Plant pathogenic microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and nematodes have a significant impact on the global economy. In particular, advances in nanotechnology, including nanobiosensors, have been used in the detection of plant diseases and pathogens, the evaluation and examination of infections caused by microorganisms, the management of diseases and, thus, the promotion of food security. Apart from the management of plant diseases, nanobiosensors offer better opportunities for sustainable agri-food production by controlling physical, chemical, and biological processes, thus improving food safety and the agricultural economy. This review outlines the application of nano-integrated nanobiosensors for better agricultural and food practices.

Enhanced Adsorption of Trace Ethylene on Ag/NZ5 Modified with Ammonia: Hierarchical Structure and Metal Dispersion Effects.

Trace ethylene poses a significant challenge during the storage and transportation of agricultural products, causing over-ripening, reducing shelf life, and leading to food waste. Zeolite-supported silver adsorbents show promise for efficiently removing trace ethylene. Herein, hierarchical Ag/NZ5(X) adsorbents were prepared via different ammonia modifications, which featured enhanced ethylene adsorption ability. Ag/NZ5(2.5) exhibited the largest capacity and achieved near-complete removal at room temperature with prolonged efficacy. Characterization results indicated that the ammonia modification led to the formation of a hierarchical structure in the zeolite framework, reducing diffusion resistance and increasing the accessibility of the active sites. Additionally, desilication effects increased the defectiveness, generating a stronger metal-support interaction and resulting in a higher metal dispersion rate. These findings provide valuable insights into the development of efficient adsorbents for removing trace ethylene, thereby reducing food waste and extending the shelf life of agricultural products.

Research on investment optimization and coordination of fresh supply chain considering misreporting behavior under blockchain technology

In the traditional fresh supply chain, farmers commonly conceal the true quality information of their products in order to achieve better sales. This article focuses on the use of blockchain technology to address the issue of false freshness reporting in a two-level fresh supply chain consisting of a rural cooperative and a supermarket. Taking into account the dual losses of quality and quantity in the process of agricultural products transportation, the impacts of the product freshness and the blockchain investment level on random market demand are quantified in this paper. And game models for centralized and decentralized decision-making before and after investing in blockchain technology are proposed. By comparing the supply chain optimal decisions and performances under different scenarios, a revenue-cost sharing contract is designed to coordinate the decentralized decision-making. Simulation results show that the application of the blockchain technology can further consolidate the superiority of the centralized decision-making. However, there is a certain threshold for the application of the blockchain technology in decentralized decision-making. When the unit cost of blockchain exceeds the threshold, the rural cooperative will abandon its cooperation with the supermarket due to reduced profits. And the combined contract also has a threshold boundary for its coordinating effect on decentralized decision-making.

Potensi Ancaman dan Upaya Mitigasi Emisi Gas Rumah Kaca di Sektor Pertanian Indonesia : Tinjauan Sistematis atas Literatur

Agriculture in Indonesia is a vital sector that can fulfill food needs and provide livelihoods. However, agriculture also contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Indonesia's agricultural sector contributes around 14% of emissions globally and 7% nationally. Greenhouse gas emissions such as methane gas CH4, carbon dioxide CO2, and nitrous oxide N2O are generated from agricultural activities ranging from land preparation, fertilization, transportation of agricultural products, to processing in factories. These greenhouse gas emissions influence the climate change that occurs and affect the increase in temperature and rainfall patterns. In mitigation efforts, this study noted several steps taken. Energy conversion, such as the use of biogas from animal manure can reduce CH4 emissions and the use of pellets from palm waste processing can reduce CO2 emissions. Reforestation with special carbon-absorbing plants to reduce CO2 emissions. The use of organic fertilizers as a partial replacement for inorganic fertilizers is useful in reducing CH4 and N2O emissions. Through this systematic review, it is expected to contribute to the understanding of the role of the agricultural sector in greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia and provide insight into mitigation efforts that can be applied in achieving sustainable agriculture.

WAYS TO STABILIZE THE CONDITION OF THE TRANSPORTATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF LARGE-SCALE RUSSIAN AGGRESSION

The issue of transportation of agricultural products from the producer to the buyer is important for our country. Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine emphasized the extreme importance of the transport complex for the economy and society. With the beginning of invasion of Ukrainian land, air communication with the world was completely stopped, and sea ports were also blocked. With the beginning of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, the routes of transportation of agricultural products were disrupted, a large number of elevators were destroyed, the road surface of warehouses was destroyed, and sea ports were seized. The purpose of this article was to study the current state of freight transportation in the conditions of martial law, to improve and stabilize the ways of transporting agricultural products. The task was to find ways to improve logistics and ways to protect grain products from missile strikes, as well as possible ways to export this grain from the territory of Ukraine. The article presents the results of an analytical analysis of the state of transportation of agricultural products, suggests ways to stabilize and solve the problem. The development of logistics and cooperation with foreign partners, the construction of protected hubs for storing grain products, as well as the construction of modern elevators that could accumulate large volumes of products for their further transportation in large batches to consumers. The best option for Ukraine would be the creation of grain hubs in European countries, as well as transport grain by motor vehicle, accumulate grain in large batches, and deliver it to other parts of the world, through the ports of Europe. However, today it is not so easy, because currently European countries are imposing restrictions on the import of our grain products. Today, despite the difficult military situation, the lost part of the transport infrastructure and logistics, Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporting countries. The restoration of traditional ways of freight transportation and the constant search for new ones is a sign of a healthy and promising policy for the development of the transport industry. The European choice of our state, the support of partners will ensure uninterrupted freight transportation and will give new impetus to the development of river and railway transport.

Optimisation of multi-level logistics network for agricultural products under community group buying model

This paper introduces a rapidly developing new online retail model, community group buying, and proposes a three-level agricultural logistics network optimisation model. Under the community group buysing model, it is necessary to use different types of vehicles for transportation of agricultural products with different temperature control requirements. The study establishes a multi-objective mixed integer programming model with the objectives of shortest transportation time and minimum total cost, taking into account the freshness penalty cost incurred during transport. The multi-objective problem is transformed into a single objective by normalisation and weighting methods. According to the calculation for the actual case, this paper solves the problems of community group buying grid warehouse location, multiple vehicles use strategy, loading capacity, transportation path optimisation and self-pickup station demand allocation. In addition, through sensitivity analysis, the management insights of community group buying enterprises are obtained: (1) The community group buying enterprises should use brokers of the community group buying model to enhance customer stickiness; (2) The enterprises should focus on developing business in less developed regions; (3) The enterprises need to adjust the proportion of time efficiency and logistics costs according to the real situation.

Application of omics technology in the storage and transportation of agricultural products

Agricultural products may deteriorate due to various reasons during storage and transportation, resulting in serious losses. However, the mechanism of deterioration is complex, and many mechanisms are currently unclear. In recent years, the rapid development of omics technologies, such as genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, has led to breakthroughs in exploring the mechanism of product quality changes during the storage and transportation of agricultural products, and also help to understand molecular mechanisms. By using omics technology to gain a deeper understanding of the changes in agricultural products during storage and transportation, more efficient, environmentally friendly, and resource saving storage and transportation methods can be developed, providing a research foundation for the sustainability of China’s agricultural food system. In addition, research on omics technology has provided theoretical support for screening more suitable storage methods and transportation conditions. This review presents the potential application omics technologies in agricultural product storage and transportation. The application examples of omics technology in the storage and transportation process of agricultural products were discussed. Finally, the prospects indicate that omics technology has unlimited potential.

Optimization of perishable agricultural products logistics distribution path based on IACO-time window constraint

With the development of modern logistics industry, the cold chain logistics distribution of perishable agricultural products has become an important link to ensure food quality and safety. Aiming at the complicated situation in the process of perishable agricultural products transportation path planning, a cold chain logistics distribution path optimization model based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) was proposed. Based on the traditional soft and hard time window constraint model, an optimized time window constraint model was proposed, and the update function of pheromone increment was substituted to optimize the traditional ant colony algorithm. An Improved Ant Colony Optimization (IACO)-time-window constrained path optimization model was proposed. The test results showed that in the convergence training experiment in Matlab environment, the research method only needed 19 iterations to reach the lowest level. In the experiment of application effect, the length of the path generated by the research method for car a was 188.93 km. Car Group a could complete 60.38 % offload at the fourth distribution node. The experimental results showed that the proposed route optimization model had better iteration efficiency and could effectively generate a shorter distance distribution path, which provides a new technical support for the route optimization of cold chain distribution of perishable agricultural products.

IMPROVEMENT OF WORKING CONDITIONS IN RURAL AREAS THROUGH THE FORMATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AGRICULTURAL SERVICES

Relevance of the study. The infrastructure of rural settlements has a significant impact on the quality of life of the rural population and, as a result, on the development of the infrastructure of the agro-industrial complex.
 Objective. The purpose of this study is to develop scientific and methodological provisions for improving the infrastructure of agricultural services.
 Materials and methods. The research methodology includes bibliographic analysis, as well as analysis of statistical data. To identify the most significant factors for ordinary agricultural workers, the method of expert assessments is used.
 Results. Studies have been conducted on the agro-industrial complex organizations of the Altai Territory. The main part of the article identifies external and internal factors that determine the quality of working conditions in agriculture. Using the method of expert assessments, the most significant factors for ordinary agricultural workers were identified. In order to introduce digitalization in the agro-industrial complex, software and hardware unmanned complexes designed to perform certain functions in crop production are considered. Digital solutions designed to perform the functions of interaction with suppliers, consumers and transportation of agricultural products are described. The issues of environmental safety of workplaces in the agro-industrial complex are considered.
 Conclusion. It is revealed that in order to effectively develop the infrastructure of rural settlements as a tool to improve the quality of life of the rural population, it is necessary to abandon the policy of maximum coverage in favor of a policy of concentrating efforts on a certain territory on the basis of a comprehensive plan covering all spheres of society and involving sectoral authorities in its implementation within a single project.

Environmental Prediction in Cold Chain Transportation of Agricultural Products Based on K-Means++ and LSTM Neural Network

Experiments have proven that traditional prediction research methods have limitations in practice. Proposing countermeasures for environmental changes is the key to optimal control of the cold chain environment and reducing the lag of control effects. In this paper, a cold chain transportation environment prediction method, combining k-means++ and a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network, is proposed according to the characteristics of the cold chain transportation environment of agricultural products. The proposed prediction model can predict the trend of cold chain environment changes in the next ten minutes, which allows cold chain vehicle managers to issue control instructions to the environmental control equipment in advance. The fusion process for temperature and humidity data measured by multiple data sensors is performed with the k-means++ algorithm, and then the fused data are fed into an LSTM neural network for prediction based on time series. The prediction error of the prediction model proposed in this paper is very satisfactory, with a root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and R-squared of 0.5707, 0.2484, 0.3258, 0.0312 and 0.9660, respectively, for temperature prediction, and with an RMSE, MAE, MSE, mean absolute percentage error and R-squared of 1.6015, 1.1770, 2.5648, 0.2736 and 0.9702, respectively, for humidity prediction. Finally, the LSTM neural network and back propagation (BP) neural network are compared in order to enhance the reliability of the results. In terms of the prediction effect of the temperature and humidity in cold chain vehicles transporting agricultural products, the proposed model has a higher prediction accuracy than that of existing models and can provide strategic support for the fine management and regulation of the cold chain transportation environment.

Research on the Establishment, Operation and Management of "Farm Helper" APP

The poverty problem in China has an important connection with the precision sales of agricultural products. We are committed to providing farmers with all-round help, taking "farmers' income increase, agricultural growth, and rural stability" as our mission, and comprehensively helping farmers develop and become rich. Therefore, our team has developed a central APP called "Agricultural Helper", which provides a safe, reliable and convenient platform for farmers to sell agricultural products. Our platform eliminates many redundant steps and directly contacts with enterprises such as fruit processing plants and canning plants. The platform also provides a personal to personal marketing model to further simplify the transportation of agricultural products and ensure the quality of agricultural products, such marketing mode can reduce the purchase cost of enterprise users and individual users. This paper introduces the main functions, products and services of the "agricultural helper" APP, analyzes its marketing strategies, and analyzes its risk types and countermeasures.

МОБИЛЬНОЕ ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ ДЛЯ ТРАНСПОРТИРОВКИ СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОЙ ПРОДУКЦИИ

This article explores the possibilities and advantages of using mobile applications for the transportation of agricultural products. The authors analyze the benefits of mobile applications intended for the optimization of delivery routes, cargo tracking, automation of warehouse management and integration with other systems. In addition, the article discusses the benefits of using mobile applications to improve communication and cooperation between farmers, suppliers and consumers of agricultural products. This allows one to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of the entire agricultural value chain. Based on this study and practical examples presented in the article, it was concluded that mobile applications may significantly improve the transportation of agricultural products, increase operational efficiency and improve the quality of service. For each industry, it is vital to increase profits and reduce costs. In this regard, this article is devoted to the study of the possibilities of improving the efficiency of road transportation of agricultural goods. In order to create a high-performance advanced transport logistics system, Kazakhstan needs to ensure transparency of transport tariffs and the mechanism of their control and regulation concerning set of certain issues. It's important to focus on refining the performance of current networks while also improving the management of their usage intensity. Moving towards eco-friendly fuel options, cutting maintenance expenses through the upsizing of transportation companies, and embracing technological advancements and innovations are key elements in this matter.

ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ ЛОГИСТИЧЕСКОЙ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРЫ В РЕГИОНАХ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА

The formation of logistics infrastructure in the agricultural sector affects economic growth and can contribute to the country’s economy. The experience of developed countries shows that the transportation of agricultural products, storage, customs clearance, expansion of the infrastructure of tracking and logistics services have a positive effect on the expansion of agriculture, production and overall economic growth. Along with this, the magnitude and level of significance of the coefficients for each dimension of the logistics results vary depending on the sectors. Logistics infrastructure is more important for the growth of production and overall economic growth than for the growth of agriculture. The study shows that the importance and scale of the relationship between economic growth and logistics advantages depend on industry and economic policy, as well as other contexts. Thus, investments in logistics services can contribute to the acceleration of both agricultural and industrial growth, as well as overall economic growth.

Повоєнне відновлення регіонів: оцінка та перспективи

The article analyzes the peculiarities of determining the losses incurred by the State since the beginning of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. The main directions in which the most severe damages of infrastructure and housing have been suffered are identified. A regional review of the destruction of infrastructure facilities was conducted, allocating the extent of damages. The degree of damages and destruction in various spheres of life of society is examined. The peculiarities of the destruction assessment in the post-war period are singled out. Priority areas for the post-war recovery of the State are defined. It is noted that the restoration of damaged production or the rebuilding of new production facilities should be based on the principles of Industry 4.0, taking into account digitalization and sustainable development of the regions. The state of migration flows is analyzed, with the regional distribution of internally displaced persons highlighted. The main problems that arise in regions with a large number of internally displaced persons are singled out, the solution of which should be based on the recovery of infrastructure for the return of the population to the regions of permanent residence. It is pointed out that during the wartime it was necessary to change sea routes for the transportation of agricultural products and other goods, which led to an increase in the price of such transportation due to changes in the terms of quotas, contracts, transportation volumes and risks. The author substantiates the emerging need to transport goods through European countries by road and rail, which leads to an increase in the load on the roads of the western regions of the country. It is determined that during the period of military aggression, in order to support Ukraine, European countries took a number of measures to simplify logistics transportation from the territory of our State through bilateral cooperation in the formation of convenient logistics corridors and solving technical and organizational issues. It is concluded that, in general, the recovery of the State should be based on a long-term perspective of sustainable development and integration into the European space, which should be reflected in all spheres of the life of society.

ACCOUNTING OF COSTS FOR THE OPERATION OF AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF USING THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

Introduction. Digitization of agricultural activities formed the prerequisites for the practical implementation of the philosophy of "precision agriculture" based on geo-information technologies in the functioning of agricultural enterprises. The use of modern geo-information technologies and the global positioning system optimizes not only the processes of cultivating land and growing agricultural products, but also fundamentally changes the methodology and organization of accounting. In particular, accounting of costs for the agricultural machinery operation based on information generated by GPS technology is subject to automation. The purpose of the article is to improve the accounting of operational costs in agricultural activities using the global positioning system and to automate the cost calculation of services provided by agricultural machinery to third-party customers. Results. The expediency of using information generated by GPS navigators about the location of motor vehicles and special equipment, travel routes, mileage, speed of movement, stops and parking lots for the digitization of accounting is substantiated. The methodology and organization of the accounting of costs for the agricultural machinery operation using GPS technology have been improved such as: fuel based on the comparison of the fuel indicators in the tank; lubricants and technological fluids after identifying the time (mileage) of the need for their replacement; salaries of drivers and support staff in proportion to the movement mileage of special equipment while performing production tasks; social insurance funds of employees of agricultural enterprises; depreciation deductions according to the proportional (production method); technical maintenance and current repairs at the end of the planned service life of spare parts, units and aggregates; forecasting the need for repairs to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of agricultural enterprises. Depending on the location of vehicles and special equipment, the order of accounting is proposed: general production costs for moving special equipment to the places of its operation; production costs within the spatial and territorial limits of the main agricultural activity of land cultivation; production costs for the provision of production services by special equipment to third-party customers; transport and procurement costs for transportation of agricultural products to places of their storage or processing. Based on the accumulated information about the costs associated with the agricultural machinery operation, a scheme for operational costing of services provided to third-party customers using the calculation unit - the kilometer of motor vehicles and special equipment movement was developed. Conclusions. The use of the global positioning system in combination with other geo-information technologies forms a significant information resource about the costs on the operation of agricultural machinery for the effective management of agricultural enterprises. Other geo-information technologies, the use of which transforms accounting and management of agricultural activities, are electronic cartography and aerial visual monitoring of agricultural works using drones, which are the subject of further scientific research.

ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ РОЗВИТКУ ОСНОВНИХ СЕГМЕНТІВ РИНКУ МОРСЬКИХ ВАНТАЖНИХ ПЕРЕВЕЗЕНЬ В УКРАЇНІ

The armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine led to the destruction of critical infrastructure, the termination of port operations in Ukraine, the disruption of regional logistics, the rise in fuel prices, and the increase in ship and cargo insurance costs. It contributed to the restriction of trade in the Black Sea region. The armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine hinders trade and changes logistics in and throughout the Black Sea region. As a result, the search for alternative trade routes for Ukrainian goods quickly increased the demands on land and sea transport infrastructure and services. The work aims to identify trends in developing the main segments of the Ukrainian sea freight transportation market in current business conditions. To solve the tasks, the following methods were used: comparative analysis and grouping - in the study of general trends of the Ukrainian sea freight transportation market; systemic structural analysis - when studying the state and determining the prospects of tanker, container, and dry cargo transportation in Ukraine. An analysis of the general trends of the Ukrainian sea freight transport market was carried out. In addition, the state and prospects of tanker, container, and dry cargo transportation in Ukraine have been studied in detail. The tanker transportation sector was the most affected. Tanker transportation in Ukraine was suspended. Shipping companies engaged in the transportation of containers have stopped work in Ukrainian seaports. At the same time, a slight increase in the volume of container transportation was observed in the ports of countries bordering Ukraine. The complete blockade of Ukrainian seaports and the destruction and damage of infrastructure facilities made it impossible for dry cargo ships to reach Ukrainian ports. With Ukrainian seaports blocked and port operations suspended, grain exports from Ukraine were limited to shipments through western borders, rail, and small ports. The issue was partially resolved only within the framework of signing documents regarding the implementation of the Initiative on the safe transportation of agricultural products from three Ukrainian ports. The article outlines the critical factors in developing the maritime cargo transportation market in Ukraine during the post-war period of economic development.

Nanotechnology - Big impact: How nanotechnology is changing the future of agriculture?

The global climate change and rapid population increase are raising challenges for food security, and it demands efficient crop improvement methods that ensure superior quality and quantity of the crops. The advancements in nanotechnology can be explored to enhance sustainable crop improvement. Recently, nanotechnology has made massive revolutions in solving various problems faced by the human population, including the agriculture, environment and food sectors. In agriculture, nanotechnology has implications on every stage of farming, including seed germination, growth, harvest, processing, storage and transport of agricultural products. Nano fertilisers, nano herbicides, nano-fungicides, nano biosensors, nanoscale genetic carriers, nano-bioremediating agents and nanocomposites for packing are the novel applications of nanotechnology in the crop improvement area. Nanotechnology ensures the site-specific delivery of the nutrients in the plant's target region, which minimises the loss and increases efficiency. The reduced size of the nanomaterials offers a broader surface area for pesticides and fertilisers, drastically escalating disease and pest controlpests in crops as they promise to overcome the shortcomings caused by traditional pesticide application. The advancement in nanotechnology is rapidly contributing to the digitalization of agriculture also. For example, nanotechnology widens the horizons of high-tech agricultural farms with the aid of biosensors. The synthesis of nano enzymes also revolutionized the stress-tolerant mechanism of the plants by acting as an efficient antioxidant enzyme, and it has been widely used against salinity tolerance recently. The contribution of nanotechnology in effective transfer of genetic material in gene editing and genetic engineering techniques has also significantly contributed towards crop improvement. Nanobioremediation and nanophotocatalysis methods can also remove toxic substances from the environment. It is clear that, nanotechnology driven agri-food sector is expected to bloom in the near future. This review article summarisessummarises the potential benefits of nanotechnology in agriculture and related fields, including the environment and food industry. Although nanotechnology has contributed a lot to the betterment of the world in various ways, they also face several limitations. Despite being a frontier of scientific advancement in the modern era, the negative impacts caused by nanotechnology cannot be sidelined. Therefore, this review also discusses the limitations of nanotechnology in the last section. • Advancements in nanotechnology have revolutionized every sector and it can be explored to enhance agricultural productivity and crop improvement. • Nanotechnology based tools and techniques provide better alternatives as compared to conventional methods. • The engineering of nanoparticles is possible due to their unique and characteristic properties at atomic scale. • The contribution of nanotechnology in effective transfer of genetic material in gene editing and genetic engineering has also significantly contributed towards crop improvement. • Nanotechnology driven agri-food sector is expected to rise in the near future.