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How to Maintain the Food Supply Chain during the Pandemic?

How to Maintain the Food Supply Chain during the Pandemic

The lockdown of coronavirus has gruesomely affected the supply chain. The pandemic is hitting even the world supply chain. The WTO is therefore extremely fearful of a phase of global food disaster in the world. The lockdown has also led to a downturn in the worldwide production of food and costs will rise rapidly.

The officials are taking effective policies for securing the livelihoods of millions of people through brave and determined leadership governments.

Lockdown’s Impact on the supply chain

FMCG giants and retailers have recognized the need to aggressively support third-party supply chain firms which provide a robust digital platform with conventional vendors being brought to a standstill as a consequence of the shortage of human resources.

Bulk hand sanitizer companies often work with a limited number of staff and uphold the lockout rules to ensure a smooth supply chain. In the meantime, this will also contribute to maintaining the economy and resuming work after the lockout.

As a consequence, tech-enabled logistics companies are experiencing enhanced demand by introducing contactless shipping solutions and contact-tracking policies for their employees that ensure market continuity.

Unlike traditional dealers who usually depend on daily wage workers, one of the main advantages offered by these companies lies in their employees. Besides, third-party supply chain players are equipped with a technological stack to place online orders, deliver wholesale snacks, and even predict customer demand using AI data analysis. It digitizes the entire process, starting with order collection, delivery, and delivery in the last miles.

How to Maintain the Food Supply Chain during the Pandemic

Government measures

With a more concentrated population, needed to take urgent steps to avoid the virus outbreak. Since most people are described as susceptible, authorities were afraid of a problem that was greater than the hunger pandemic. Government officials hurried to take robust measures to secure many of the survivors of the epidemic.

Amid the supply chain situation caused by the global pandemic, both the central and state government have taken action to ensure the smooth transition of essential goods from manufacturing plants to retailers and stores, and to keep it consistent with last-mile transit.

Industry participants, policymakers, and neutral advisory councils are now exploring a path forward after the lockdown, providing SOPs and promoting development processes and the stability of the supply chain.

These include strict hygiene and sanitation standards throughout the supply chain (From manufacturing through distribution), limiting the maximum permitted workforce in a factory, and more stringent factory self-distance rules. 

The policy also has to consider this field and remove any barriers to the supply chain. Consequently, several measures have been initiated by the government to ensure that harvest and other related activities in the agricultural sector are not interrupted.

Complications concerning the supply chain

For global trading companies worldwide, the COVID-19 bag offers few lessons. Therefore, it emphasizes the importance of developing future supply chain modules that focus on the handling of stress instead of just time and money.

The model, therefore, will focus on healthy, sensitive, and reconfigurable durability that covers a broad spectrum of different countries. Moreover, China’s dependence on relatively mild products is entirely negligent. We must subsequently adapt production units to reduce dependency.

Few markers to insure the chain will not crack entirely.

The agriculture industry is the most significant contributor to the supply chain. Then, smooth flow is ensured by the following points:

●  In rural areas, officers should deal sensitively with issues instead of forcing seed and fertilizer salespeople to shut down.

●  Disseminate alertness towards social distancing, COVID-19 state and mainly agricultural hygiene.

● To avoid interruption of the supply chain, the railways have to transport supplies.

● Decentralization of farming, seed hubs and green zones and agriculture are vital steps.

● Besides, the emphasis must be placed on developing a plan to produce enough food in the town for itself in times of crisis.

Hyperlocal materials

Although this concept is not new, hyper-local food delivery and daily supplies have been fuelled by a strong return of the ongoing lockdown. To satisfy rising market demand, FMCG and e-commerce firms collaborate with nearby retail shops.

Nielsen reports that there are 6.65 million grocery stores, which make up 90 % of the total trade in the region. It means that supermarkets and organized food stores only occupy 10%. The present crisis reveals again the need for neighborhood shops and small grocery stores have stepped up efforts to deliver essential goods in a doorway.

It may also contribute to the wide adoption of digital interfaces for last-mile supply by retailers and shops. As history has previously shown, companies can reinvent themselves, often becoming more powerful when ineffective challenges confront them.

The scenario after the crisis

While the supply chain system had initially been severely affected by the pandemic, it was also paving the way for digitizing the supply chain network.

Business bodies and technology-centered companies are currently working together to combine emerging technologies such as data processing, texting, and real-time GPS monitoring to establish a regional electronic supply network for critical commodities.

If it has been introduced, products will be transported easily, from manufacturing plants to factories and manufacturers to suppliers and customers. There are obstacles and opportunities to reach Covid-19 pandemic.

Although we remain in an emergency of public safety, innovative market structures emerge; businesses refurbish their programs and re-examine their corporate strategies.

Conclusions

Large businesses and NGOs are, together with the government, in the front line to agree that the spread of the virus can be curbed. Without a doubt, we all have adopted the motto of “break the chain” by staying at home for the whole world for a promising future.

The government has done a great deal to feed the entire country and protect its lives and livelihoods from the outbreak of coronaviruses. In the hope that this cloud will also have a silver coating, reorganizing the potential of society for increased food safety and sovereignty, and paving the way for effective food systems.