Wholesale Market Research Articles (Page 1)

Formal and informal antimicrobial trade and usage in farmed animals of the urban area of Lomé, Togo.

Microgrid system sizing and aggregation of distributed energy resources for wholesale market participation

The article examines the ideas behind the 1965 economic reform in the USSR and the way in which it was implemented. That reform is still central to discussions about whether it would have been feasible, at least in theory, to adjust the Soviet economic model in the post-war period without breaking it. The article sets proposals by well-known economists (such as those in an article by E. G. Liberman) against the economic debate that ran from 1962 to 1965. This facilitates reconstruction of an alternative model for a planned economy which was developed jointly at that time by mathematical economists, cyberneticists, and practical business operators. In contrast with the prevailing view, the author maintains that the struggle between proponents of economic liberalism and of improving planning through computerization arose later and that contemporaries of the reform, including V. S. Nemchinov, put forward a set of reform proposals that combined computerization, economic and mathematical methods, and the use of economic incentives (material interest), which were compatible with Liberman’s proposals. Several important elements of the proposed economic system were not implemented: pricing reform was carried out belatedly and only once; a way to collect economic information that would permit prompt price adjustments was not created; and stability of economic guidelines was not sustained. Guidelines were instead subject to change through annual approvals by ministries and industries. The Interdepartmental Commission (IDC), which was nominally empowered to advance reform, resorted largely to mere jockeying for “favorable” guidelines. No wholesale market for the means of production was created, and therefore the increased demand of enterprises for capital investment could not be satisified. The state arbitration mechanism, which was meant to ensure consistency in deliveries by economic means, worked only to a limited extent. The reform reduced government revenues and increased the population’s effective demand, which exceeded the ability to deliver commodities and exacerbated the deficit in the market for consumer goods. These negative outcomes might have been averted either by ratcheting up reform until a market economy was created, or else by reinstating administrative control over production quotas. But it proved impossible to refrain from choosing one of the two options. The administrative path was chosen even before the Prague Spring because the state bureaucracy was unwilling to give up its role in the economic and social development of the country. The inconsistency in the implementation of the reform led to contradictory results. Although a number of financial indicators improved, the transition to an intensive type of development did not occur.

ABSTRACT Current policies facilitate the involvement of prosumer aggregators in the wholesale market on the distribution side. However, the wholesale market’s disregard for distribution network security constraints may lead to potential security issues when aggregators deliver the awarded power. Furthermore, the electricity market operates within a multi‐party offer framework, rendering the competitive behaviour of aggregators’ rivals unpredictable. The relationship between locational marginal prices and the offer of prosumer aggregators is further complicated by the coupling of transmission and distribution systems. These factors contribute to the complexity of the decision‐making process for prosumer aggregators. This paper introduces a comprehensive offer model for prosumer aggregators that incorporates network security and the intricate market environment. Initially, we develop optimisation decision‐making models for various market participants, providing examples of their decision‐making behaviours. Subsequently, we explore the interactive dynamics among market entities and formulate a mathematical optimisation model for prosumer aggregators that integrates network security constraints and the complexities of market decision‐making. Additionally, we establish a multi‐party game model that considers offer strategies of all participants. Finally, we propose simplified solution strategies to address the challenges associated with diverse application scenarios. Case studies conducted on a 69‐bus distribution network validate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

The aimed of this study was to determine the marketing channel of merang mushrooms for the Rukun Makmur farmer group and to determine the cost, margin, farmer’s share and efficiency of the merang mushrooms marketing channel of the Rukun Makmur farmer group. The population taken from the supply chain research for merang mushrooms cultivation were farmers, traders, and final consumers who involved in the marketing channel of merang mushrooms in the Rukun Makmur Farmer Group. The method of taking respondents used the snowball sampling method. Data analysis in this study used three analyzes, there were: (1) descriptive, margin and marketing efficiency, and (3) farmer's share. The results of the research showed that the perpetrators of merang mushrooms marketing institutions in the Rukun Makmur farmer group were farmers, traders (central or non-central market traders), and consumers. There are 4 marketing channels for straw mushrooms in the Rukun Makmur farmer group: Marketing channel I straw mushroom farmers - consumers, marketing channel II straw mushroom farmers - local market traders - consumers, marketing channel III straw mushroom farmers - local market traders - retailers - consumers Marketing channel IV straw mushroom farmers - wholesale market traders - retailers - consumers. The marketing costs of 1 kilogram of straw mushrooms in this marketing channel include 0, Rp. 2,500, Rp. 3,500 and Rp. 2,500. The marketing margin in this study was 0, Rp. 6,000, Rp. 10,000, Rp. 8,000. The least marketing costs and margins were in channel I, the largest marketing costs and margins were in channel III. Marketing efficiency in this straw mushroom marketing channel was 0%, 6.9%, 8.75% and 6.57%. The results showed that all marketing channels were included in the efficient marketing category. The most efficient marketing channel was in channel I and the least efficient was in channel III. The results of the farmer's share analysis in this study were 100%, 83%, 75%, 79%. These results show that the share received by farmers is greater than that of consumers, so it can be said that all marketing channels are efficient.

ABSTRACTFish, including Oreochromis shiranus (Chambo), is a vital protein source in Malawi, but consumption has declined. Due to its perishability, preservation methods like smoking and frying are common. This study compares the microbial load in smoked and fried tilapia from wholesale and retail markets. This cross‐sectional study compared the microbial load in smoked and fried tilapia (Chambo) from wholesale (Salima) and retail (Lilongwe) markets. Twenty fish samples (10 smoked and 10 fried) were collected, transported in sterile conditions, and analyzed for Total Aerobic Plate Count and coliforms using ISO‐standard methods. Data was log‐transformed and analyzed using two‐way analysis of variance, with significance set at p < 0.05. Fried tilapia from wholesalers had low levels of contamination, with most samples showing too few colonies to count, while some smoked samples displayed higher bacterial counts (33.75 ± 3.77 CFU/mL). Retailer samples showed a wider range of bacterial species, including Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida, suggesting potential hygiene concerns. Overall, bacterial loads were significantly higher in tilapia from retail markets compared with those from wholesalers (p < 0.05). The analysis showed higher microbial contamination in tilapia from retailers, with greater bacterial diversity, including E. coli, indicating poor hygiene. Wholesaler samples had minimal contamination. Although preservation methods showed no significant difference in microbial loads, retailer fish had significantly higher bacterial loads.

Application of machine learning in predicting fruit waste in a South African fresh produce wholesale market

The decarbonization of power systems facilitates the electrification of appliances, many of which can be operated in a flexible way. Demand response (DR) programs can exploit this flexibility with retail price adjustment, thereby addressing several operational challenges. In this paper, we address the welfare optimization problem of local utilities that procure electricity for their customers at the wholesale market. We demonstrate how DR programs can be designed for local electricity systems where electricity demand and its response to temporary price changes is unknown. For this purpose, we address a novel and complex pricing problem—pricing under unknown, time-interdependent, and discontinuous demand—leveraging Deep Reinforcement Learning. Using a numerical case study calibrated on Californian electricity market data, we show that such a “Deep DR program” helps to identify effective prices that improve social welfare. The performance of the program is consistently positive across a variety of system conditions. We further demonstrate that our approach beats Time-of-Use tariff-based benchmarks already after five and a parametric benchmark after 19 simulation days, on average. Second, we provide novel insights regarding an important but frequently overlooked aspect of DR program design: The length of the notification interval, that is the timespan for which future prices must be set in advance. We find that the timing of price information is important and that longer notification intervals can improve social welfare. Finally, we provide insights into DR price setting and find that DR prices co-move with wholesale market prices but are lower for longer notification intervals and shorter event sequences. The presented Deep DR program provides an example of how advances in machine learning-based algorithms can help to meet the complex operational requirements of future local electricity systems.

Abstract Wholesale market makers pay for retail options orders that must be executed on exchanges. Payment for order flow (PFOF) wholesalers compete via price improvement in exchange auctions. To attract retail orders, wholesalers run more auctions when their recent price improvement has been lower. However, auction price improvement lowers market maker revenues. Wholesalers earn revenues to pay PFOF in nonauction trades where their designated market maker status increases their execution priority. While some auctions produce substantial price improvement, most do not have multiple bidders offering meaningful price improvement. Overall, options market structure better promotes competition in auctions than in nonauctions.

ABSTRACT This paper examines the overlooked influence of wholesale incumbents on the digital transformation of fresh fruit distribution in China’s regional markets, focusing on Shenzhen – a primary hub for imported fruits, particularly from Southeast Asia. Drawing on in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and case studies of dominant wholesalers, for example, Hongjiu Fruit Ltd and Jiangnan wholesale market, and platforms, such as Alibaba, it argues that imported fruit distribution has undergone strategic reconfiguration through incumbent wholesalers’ digitalisation per se, competitive and cooperative interactions with digital platforms, and negotiations with consumers and government agencies. By exploring the dynamic interplay between physical and digital distribution channels, this paper advances the firm-specific strategies framework in the global production networks theory by elucidating the critical role of incumbents in coordinating cross-regional markets in the digital era of platform economy.

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has transformed consumer behavior, particularly in how purchase decisions are influenced by social media interactions. This study investigates the effect of consumer reviews on social media platforms on the purchase intentions of household products, with a focus on vendors and consumers at Pasar Turi Baru in Surabaya, Indonesia. Employing a quantitative research design, data were collected from 50 respondents through a structured questionnaire distributed on-site. The study utilized a simple linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between social media reviews and consumer purchase intentions. The results indicate that consumer reviews have a statistically significant positive effect on purchase intentions. Visual content, trustworthiness of the source, and user-generated authenticity emerged as key drivers influencing consumer confidence. The coefficient of determination (R²) reached 0.527, meaning that 52.7% of the variation in purchase intention can be explained by exposure to consumer reviews. Findings also highlight that visual testimonials and narrative experiences shared on platforms like Instagram and TikTok are particularly persuasive. This research offers practical implications for traditional vendors transitioning to digital marketing. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging user reviews, creating trustworthy content, and engaging with consumers online to enhance their purchasing motivation. The novelty of the study lies in its context: a traditional wholesale market integrating modern digital strategies, offering insights rarely explored in previous literature.

The fruit market is characterized by high price volatility of a seasonal nature, resulting from supply instability and the asymmetry between supply and demand. The aim of this article is to examine the price dynamics of strawberries in selected wholesale markets during the 2023-2024 period. Daily price data were collected from the Warsaw Agricultural and Food Wholesale Market S.A. in Bronisze and the Agricultural and Food Wholesale Market S.A. in Radom. The study period corresponds to the strawberry season in Poland, covering the months from April to July in both years. The number of observations (daily price quotations per market) was 75 in 2023 and 76 in 2024.The results indicate substantial price volatility in both markets, which may be attributed to fluctuating supplies of seasonal fruit – increasing harvest volumes over the course of the season, followed by sharp declines. A detailed analysis of daily strawberry prices in 2023-2024 suggests that both average and maximum prices varied significantly depending on the day of the week. These fluctuations could reflect changes in consumer demand patterns. Notably, the highest average and maximum prices were recorded midweek, possibly indicating peak consumer demand or reduced supply levels during those days.

The article develops step-by-step models of the formation of the wholesale and retail electricity market, describes existing and new approaches, analyzes the stages of transition to market relations in the electricity system, and analyzes in detail the issues of applying modern technologies and various programming systems. The current and new conditions of the electricity networks and systems of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been examined and analyzed, the necessity of transition to the electric energy market has been shown, and energy market models have been developed in the electricity networks. The production and consumption capacities of the Azerbaijani energy system are constantly changing in line with development. Due to the increase in the number of consumers and the increase in the share of air conditioning loads, changes in the shape of load graphs and maximum load regimes are observed in the summer season. As a result, there is a need for short-term load forecasting, development of methodologies and software based on appropriate mathematical models and algorithms to regulate production capacity.

Changes in Distribution Destinations from the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market: A Historical Analysis from 1958 to 2019

The Greek islands have been blessed with excellent wind potential, with hundreds of sites featuring annual average wind velocity higher than 8–10 m/s. Due to specific regulations in the legal framework, some GWs of wind parks have been submitted since the late 2000s by a small number of large investors in the Greek islands, favoring the creation of energy monopolies and imposing serious impacts on natural ecosystems and existing human activities. These projects have caused serious public reactions against renewables, considerably decelerating the energy transition. This article aims to summarize the legal points in the Greek framework that caused this distorted approach and present the imposed potential social and environmental impacts. Energy monopolies distort the electricity wholesale market and lead to energy poverty and a low standard of living by imposing higher electricity procurement prices on the final users. The occupation of entire insular geographical territories by large wind park projects causes important deterioration of the natural environment, which, in turn, leads to loss of local occupations, urbanization, and migration by affecting negatively the countryside life. Serious concerns from the local population are clearly revealed through an accomplished statistical survey as well as a clear intention to be engaged in future wind park projects initiated by local stakeholders. The article is integrated with specific proposed measures and actions toward the rational development of renewable energy projects. These refer mainly on the formulation of a truly supportive and just legal framework aiming at remedying the currently formulated situation and the strengthening of the energy communities’ role, such as through licensing priorities, funding mechanisms, and tools, as well as additional initiatives such as capacity-building activities, pilot projects, and extensive activation of local citizens. Energy communities and local stakeholders should be involved in the overall process, from the planning to the construction and operation phase.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the possibilities of electricity consumption-associated cost reduction in buildings owned by a medium-sized logistics company in Latvia (A_LV), which is a part of the larger international business ecosystem (A). The company is not using all of its facilities for its own business needs, some of them are rented out, and therefore the possibility of impacting electricity consumption in rented out buildings is limited. During the research, mixed-type approaches combining qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis were employed, where the quantitative methods helped to analyze the company’s electricity consumption and cost changes in different time periods, while the qualitative methods were used in a literature review. As primary data sources, A_LV’s internal electricity consumption reports and invoices for electricity payments were used, along with publicly available data on electricity consumption in Latvia and wholesale market price fluctuations. Although A_LV has numerous areas of electricity consumption optimization, this research is limited to few of them—lighting system optimization, energy management and automation applications, forklift charging regime adjustments, and choice of electricity retailer and tariff plan.

Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.), a Sapindaceae tropical fruit, is mainly cultivated in China, Thailand, and Vietnam. From 2015-2017, China dominated global production with 1,919.4 thousand metric tons annually (55.7% of total) (Rakariyatham et al., 2020). On Jan 5, 2025, soft rot of longan fruits (10% incidence) was found in the Fruit Wholesale Market of Qujing City (25.54°N, 103.80°E), Yunnan Province, China. The infected fruits exhibited brown epidermis with completely whitened and decayed internal tissues, accompanied by a fermented alcoholic odor. The margins of the infected fruits were cut into small pieces of 0.5 × 0.5 cm, soaked in 75% ethanol for 3 minutes, then rinsed 5 times with sterile water, and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA), followed by incubation in the dark at 28 °C. After 24h, white mycelia emerged around the tissues, hyphal tip transfer method was used for strain purification on PDA. Four days later, the colony covered the entire 9-cm-diameter PDA and turned gray. Obvious gray sclerotia appeared in the center of the colony after 8 days. Scattered sclerotia appeared around the colony after 14 days. A large number of scattered grayish-black sclerotia were observed after 20 days. Six similar strains were isolated, with a representative isolate YC1126 subjected to morphological and molecular characterization. Morphological analysis revealed septate conidiophores with irregular inter-septal distances, apically branched to form grape-like conidial clusters. The conidia are unicellular, ovoid or ellipsoidal, with a size range of 5.1 to 9.3 μm × 6.5 to 15.4 μm (n = 50). The sclerotia are gray or grayish-black, round or irregular in shape, and the size 0.23 to 1.06 cm × 0.25 to 1.44 cm (n = 50). The morphological characteristics of this isolate are similar to Botrytis cinerea (Liu et al., 2024). Molecular identification was conducted by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA and three nuclear protein-coding genes (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [G3PDH], heat-shock protein 60 [HSP60], and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit [RPB2]) using primers of ITS1/ITS4, G3PDHfor/G3PDHrev, HSP60for/HSP60rev, and RPB2for/RPB2rev, respectively (Staats et al., 2005). BLAST analysis showed that this isolate (GenBank accession nos. PQ857502, PV472625, PV472626, and PV472627 for ITS, G3PDH, HSP60, and RPB2, respectively) shared 99.89% to 100% identity with Botrytis cinerea (GenBank accession nos. PV230480 [515/515 bp], MF461628 [922/923 bp], MF461629 [1011/1011 bp], and MN159929 [1133/1133 bp], respectively). A maximum-likelihood and Bayesian posterior probability-based phylogenetic analyses with the concatenated sequences placed YC1126 in the clade of B. cinerea. Thus, isolate YC1126 was identified as B. cinerea. For pathogenicity test, 10 needle-wounded longan fruits were inoculated with 7-day-old fungal discs (with 10 unwounded as control), 10 wounded fruits with conidial suspension (1×10⁶ spores/mL) (with sterile water as control), then incubated at 28°C in the dark. The wounded fruits inoculated with fungal discs and conidial suspension showed the same disease symptoms as previously observed, while the two controls remained disease-free. The pathogen was re-isolated from the symptomatic fruits and was identified as B. cinerea, which fulfilled Koch's postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit rot in longan caused by B. cinerea in China.

The results of a multi-agent representation of the organizational, organizational-technological and information process of demand management in the Electricity Micromarket on the Local Electric Power System (LEPS) are presented. The main purpose of this representation is to build a multi-agent simulation model of the organizing trade interaction process between elec-tricity producers and consumers as participants in demand-side management programs, with the structural elements of the Micromarket in the Power Grid and the centralized wholesale market. The structure and functions of the agents on the Micromarket multi-agent system are formulated, which can be used to directly build a system for managing the flow of electricity, finance and information in the Micromarket, as well as to solve the problems of developing programs and mechanisms for optimizing its operation in the context of improving the quality of electricity supply and the efficiency of the agents and the Micromarket as a whole.

India is the second largest vegetables producer in worls with production of 200.445 million tonnes during 2020-21. Assam is in the 11th position among all states of India in vegetable production. Production and marketing of vegetables faces various obstacles due to their seasonality, various factors of production, high degree of perishability. Major parts of production are sold by the farmers to middlemen or commission agents, who dominate the trade and earn huge profits. A large nos. of people in Assam are associated with vegetable farming as well as with trading and their lives and livelihoods are closely associated with this. A proper market system can give remunerative return to these lakhs of people associated with this trade, whereas, the venture is having lot of constraints in its production and marketing related activities. It is because, this study was undertaken to study the challenges faced in production and marketing of vegetables by the producers and market intermediaries in Darrang and Barpeta Districts of Assam, which two are the largest vegetable producing districts in Assam. The study also encompasses the wholesale markets of Darrang and Barpeta Road from where vegetables are marketed to Guwahati and thus the Guwahati wholesale market is also covered. The collected data were analyzed using Garrett’s Ranking Technique. There are 25 constraints that has been stated by the ‘farmers as producers’ while giving their opinion in constraints that they are facing for marketing out of which 6 are in ‘High’ rank, 15 are in ‘Medium’ rank and 4 are in ‘Low’ rank. Similarly, while getting information from ‘market intermediaries’, there are 14 different constraints that has been mentioned by wholesaler, village trader and retailers, out of which 5 are in ‘High’ rank, 6 are in ‘Medium’ rank and 3 are in ‘Low’ rank. Absence of infrastructural facilities in market yard, lack of cold storage facilities, poor road connectivity coupled with increased cost of transportation brings lot of disadvantages to the market functionaries. Both farmers and market intermediaries are not getting adequate finance to meet their business investment. Frequent price fluctuation, presence of competitive market and absence of proper market intelligence system make the marketing process more complicated for the intermediaries.

How does food market respond to natural disaster Shocks? Evidence from the cabbage wholesale market