AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR TRACEABLE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

The recent ban imposed by the EU on Indian exports of mangoes and vegetables had a revealing story to be concerned with as a nation. Although predominantly an agricultural country, India is still far behind in adopting best farming practices with a major thrust on quality and safety of food. As a result of the recent crisis, exporters are reported to have lost money. In a larger context, this crisis also reveals the state of affairs in the supply chain management in our country. The paper is formulated to help the decision-makers to solve the statedproblems, by introducing a cooperate-centralised cluster approach that integrates simulation of fragmentedfood supply chains. It helps to access the qualitative expert and trace the food back to the farm. The paper addresses the key issues faced by different supply chain players in the distribution channel in Tamilnadu stating from farmers till it reaches the final customer.The models formulated have undergone expert opinion surveywith experts in the state of Tamilnadu on cluster sampling methodand is tested usingAnalytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)tool and the optimum model is presented. The paper presents an improved model with four key players (Packers, transporters, cold storage agent, 3PL service provider)  and four stages of integration (baseline integration, functional integration, internal integration and external integration) which could be applicable for the state of Tamilnadu for the fruit and vegetable crops (Perishable produce).