Page 17 - Logistics News - March_April 2022

FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

Trends in agriculture

Gerhard Stander, Director: Retail and Agriculture, CHEP Sub-Saharan Africa,
shares some of the exciting trends shaping agriculture supply chains.

he global pandemic has brought renewed focus on sustainably providing the platforms
one of the most fundamental components of the for agricultural supply chains for
T global economy: food supply chains. While delivery decades, through its share-and-
times for some manufactured goods have come under reuse system of pallet, crate and
pressure during lockdowns, there is no such latitude for bin pooling. The next frontier for
agricultural produce. sustainability is to build regenerative
supply chains – systems that put back
Earth’s seven billion people require feeding – promptly, more into the environment than
constantly and efficiently – which is why the supply chains what is taken out.
for agricultural products and fresh produce are a space of
constant innovation. The complex systems that feed the CHEP is doing this through
world also reflect many of the same trends shaping our initiatives such as vertical integration
society today. These are some of the trends emerging in the strategies, whereby two trees are
agricultural space: planted for every tree used in the
manufacture and repair of its pallets.
Digital twinning
Agriculture supply chains are complicated. This means that Customised platforms
a change in any variable – such as climate or input prices – Increasingly, resourceful logistics firms are producing platforms
has far-reaching consequences. Fortunately, modern AI and that can accommodate and protect delicate produce – apples,
machine-learning capabilities now allow companies to model bananas or peaches, for example – which require reusable plastic
the effect of these changes. containers (RPCs) that are robust, but also flexible, lightweight
and well ventilated.
Digital twinning allows producers to create value by
applying digital and analytics technologies to new business For the highest produce grades, sensors may also be
models and product offerings before launching them in installed to measure and report on the temperature, humidity
the physical world. Using the data they capture, agriculture and integrity of the produce throughout its journey from farm
players can build digital twins of their physical supply to fork.
chains, virtual replicas that allow them to run simulations
and find the most efficient ways of moving crops through Partnerships and outsourcing
the system. Producers are coming to accept that platform logistics is a
specialist competence and that there are real efficiency and
Thanks to the Internet of things (IoT), the agriculture sustainability benefits to be gained from engaging organisations
industry is generating more data than ever, on everything with the right equipment for their needs, and the business
from agronomy to the weather, to logistics, to market price model to manage it efficiently.
volatility.
The trend is increasing for growers, farmers and agri-
Sustainability processors alike to engage with specialist platform suppliers for L O GI S T I CS NEWS

It has become almost non-negotiable that supply chains their logistics needs, so that they can focus on their own area of
be built on sustainable principles. CHEP has been expertise – producing the food that feeds the world. •

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