Thailand's Banana Supply Chain Management: Export Success Factors

The objective of this study is to identify the main success factors in Thailand’s banana export production and distribution channels.This study used primary data from interviews with banana farmers and banana exporters. Secondary data were used for confirmation and key factors were established from questionnaires.This study found that banana exports from Thailand face many challenging factors such as production inputs that affect banana exports and banana distribution models.Farm inputs directly affect both the quality of bananas and farmers’ revenue. Since the cost of banana production has been rising continuously, farmers are discouraged from improving the quality of their bananas, and this affects the quality of banana exports. Banana farmers need support through low interest rates as incentives to improve production and quality.Banana distribution from farm to consumers has become more complex, which makes banana prices unpredictable and affects banana quality. If bananas are sent directly from the farm to exporters, this would reduce delivery times and logistics costs.Competitive prices for banana exports are a key factors. Pricing strategies needs to be revamped to reflect real demand and supply. Importers have seasonal demands that may be different from the main Thai growing season. Since this will affect banana supply, production planning must consider this point.Banana supply chain management for banana exports needs to focus on farmer production inputs, distribution channels, banana quality and competitive prices