Factors that impact Quality during the Transportation of Tomatoes: Evidence from India

This paper examines the factors that impact the quality of tomatoes during the transportation through the supply chain. This is motivated by the criticality transportation in north India region. Primary data was collected through a survey using a questionnaire with responses from 140 transporters from the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India. The data were analyzed using factor analysis to identify the factors that are impacting the quality of tomatoes during the transportation stage. Based on the analysis, three factors were identified that impact quality: Operational, Preservation and Infrastructure. The identification of these factors will benefit the stakeholders involved in the process of decision-making, like the state government, food processing units, transporters, and the farmers. This will help us to understand the current status of transportation and related issues and challenges which enable them to make better planning and management to improve efficiency in the transportation stage of the supply chain.