Challenges in Global Supply Chains

Fixing Agriculture’s Core Issue: Market Linkage and Policy Bias!! Farmers feed the world, yet many struggle to access markets that fairly value their produce. This market linkage gap, combined with policies prioritizing cheap food for consumers, traps farmers in poverty, threatens food security, and stifles agricultural progress. With smallholders producing 70% of global food, solving this is urgent. Why It Matters Poor market access costs farmers billions—40% of produce in sub-Saharan Africa alone rots before reaching buyers. Meanwhile, policies like price caps and subsidies keep basic commodities like grains and rice affordable for consumers but depress farmgate prices, penalizing farmers. This dual challenge demands bold solutions. Key Barriers Weak Infrastructure: Poor roads and storage cause massive post-harvest losses. Information Gaps: Farmers lack real-time market data, leaving them vulnerable to exploitative value chains. Limited Networks: Smallholders miss out on large markets due to scale and connections. Financial Constraints: No credit means no investment in quality or technology. Policy Bias: Price controls and consumer-focused subsidies undervalue farmers’ work, as seen in systems like India’s MSP, which often favor select crops. Solutions That Work Tech Platforms: Apps today connect farmers to buyers, boosting incomes by 30%. Better Infrastructure: Public-private investments in roads and cold chains cut losses. Cooperatives: Models like Kenya’s Tea Agency show collective bargaining unlocks global markets. Value Addition: Training in processing or certifications opens premium markets. Fair Policies: Shift from price controls to income support and market diversification to balance consumer needs with farmer livelihoods. The Way Forward Low consumer prices shouldn’t come at farmers’ expense. Bridging market gaps and reforming biased policies can slash waste, boost incomes, and ensure resilient food systems. The impact—thriving farmers, stronger economies, and sustainable agriculture—is worth fighting for. Join the Conversation What’s working in your region to improve market access or fix policy imbalances? Share your ideas below—let’s build a fairer future for agriculture.

Africa’s food travels, on average, 4,000 kilometers over 23 days before reaching consumers. That’s almost four times longer than in #Europe, where the same food journey takes about 6 days. And the question is—why does a continent that holds 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land still move its food so slowly? The answers are not hidden in theory but in the ground reality. Roads that are unfinished or poorly maintained mean trucks spend hours navigating potholes that should have been repaired decades ago. Border posts that require half a dozen stamps keep drivers waiting for days. Ports that process goods at half the global average efficiency become choke points instead of gateways. In logistics, time is money—but in #Africa, time is often bureaucracy. Take #Kenya & #Uganda for example. A truck carrying maize from Eldoret to #Kampala takes 3-5 days to cover 350 kms, not because of the distance but because of weighbridges, inspections, and endless queues at Malaba border. Compare that with Europe, where a truck can cross three countries in the same timeframe without stopping once. It’s not that Africa doesn’t produce enough food—it’s that food moves slower than the demand. Tomatoes grown in northern #Nigeria rot before reaching #Lagos. Fish caught in Lake Victoria can take longer to arrive in #Nairobi than frozen salmon #imported from Norway. Farmers lose as much as 30–40% of their produce post-harvest, not due to lack of skill, but due to weak supply chains. Every extra day on the road is not just a cost; it is food wasted, income lost, and nutrition denied. This inefficiency shapes more than diets; it shapes economies. In Africa, #logistics costs can absorb up to 40% of the price of goods, compared to 10–15% in developed regions. That means a family in #Dakar spends more on the same bag of rice than a family in Paris, not because the rice is better, but because it traveled a broken path. It also means local #businesses can’t compete with imports that have smoother journeys, despite being shipped from oceans away. Yet the potential is staggering. If Africa’s food could travel in 7 days instead of 23, #farm incomes would rise, food inflation would fall, and regional #trade could grow beyond the current 15% of total trade. The African Continental Free Trade Area (#AfCFTA) is an ambitious attempt to address these bottlenecks by reducing tariffs & harmonizing rules. But the truth is, trade doesn’t flow on paper agreements—it flows on roads, rails, and #ports. The solution isn’t just building highways; it’s fixing border systems, digitizing processes, and ensuring that a truck driver spends time driving, not waiting. The continent doesn’t have a food production problem. It has a food movement problem. So the real question is—will Africa learn to move what it already grows, before it rushes to grow what it cannot yet move? 🔄️ Repost to your network to educate others.

Despite a boom in food production in Africa, food insecurity has grown too. A new World Bank report explores how transport is a critical but often overlooked driver.     Poor transport connectivity and related factors result in long food supply chains that are 4X longer than those in Europe.     A new model developed by the World Bank has found that a strategic focus on 10 African ports and 20 critical border crossings could enhance food security for millions in the region.    Priority actions for food security must include investments in advanced infrastructure for bulk food handling, removing trade barriers to reduce delays and costs at borders, enhancing transport competition to drive efficiency and reducing costs and boost infra-Africa trade.    DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT: 🔗 http://wrld.bg/bIe050VViwg

𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐁𝐅𝐒𝐈), 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 (𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐬) 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡: 🔷 Make sure you’re doing proper sourcing due diligence on any outsourced vendors you’re considering.  🔸 Fly-by-night outsourced vendors aren’t going to cut it. They skimp on the basics to keep their margins reasonable, causing impacts to service delivery and relationship support.  🔸They also bring a “whole laundry list” of other potential risks, such as infosec and financial health.  🔸Sure, not all of them are bad, but why roll the dice with untested vendors, especially when there’s so much riding on it? Go with a Tier 1 or 2 provider you know can deliver real value with less headache. 🔷 As Everest rightly pointed out (see link in comments), just because you outsource, you can’t ignore ensuring compliance with regulatory obligations. Outsourcing isn’t a “set it and forget it” relationship.   🔸 It’s essential to demonstrate to regulators that appropriate levels of ongoing oversight are in place based on the risk the outsourced relationship poses. 🔸 This includes solid processes for vendor tiering and treatment strategies, ongoing risk assessments, change control (particularly with material changes in contractual scope), communication and governance routines, compliance monitoring, scorecards, performance oversight, corrective action, contingency planning, termination, and offboarding. 🔷 Regulators expect your outsourced provider to comply with applicable laws and regulations, just as they do you. 🔸 Therefore, ensuring your contracts are buttoned up and offer necessary protections is crucial. 🔷 With critical processes such as Risk and Compliance, I’d never advocate outsourcing an entire function.  🔸 Orgs must set guidance around their risk appetite and tolerance, which should help inform outsourcing strategies. --------------------------------- Would love to hear from my network, TPRM, and Risk\ Compliance folks... What's your take?

I make a statement. The European Union's nitrogen-based fertiliser industry has traditionally been heavily dependent on gas of Russian origin. However, in the past three years, it has also become increasingly reliant on Russian nitrogen fertilisers. The import statistics speak for themselves: - 2021: The EU imported approximately 2.33 million metric tonnes of fertilisers from Russia. - 2022: Imports increased to around 2.56 million metric tonnes. - 2023: A slight decrease occurred, with imports totalling approximately 2.44 million metric tonnes. - First half of 2024: Remarkably, in just the first six months, imports reached 2.56 million metric tonnes, matching the total for the entire year of 2022. These figures highlight a growing dependence on Russian fertilisers. There is a rising advocacy for imposing duties on Russian nitrogen fertilisers, with some suggesting a 30-40% range to support local EU production. If such duties are imposed-particularly before the spring application season-who stands to benefit the most, aside from European producers? Reflecting on 2022, when the EU temporarily removed its import duties of 6.5% on all producers except Russia and Belarus, we observed various origins supplying the EU market. In this scenario, Nigeria, well-situated geographically, could become a significant beneficiary. Egyptian and Algerian producers might also strengthen their positions, and producers from the Arabian Gulf are likely to seek a share of this market. As for Russia, after increasing its presence in LatAm (including WC of Mexico and Argentina), India (during tenders), Turkey, and the US, it is anticipated that they will intensify efforts in East Africa and Southeast Asian markets. This could lead to notable shifts in global trading patterns. #imstory #fertilizers #fertilisers #nitrogen #urea #europe #eu #russia #nigeria #turkey #brazil #argentina #mexico #usa 

As a quality consultant, one challenge I frequently observe, especially in small CROs and biotech companies, is the extensive outsourcing of key activities due to limited internal infrastructure. Outsourcing becomes problematic when vendors are engaged informally, often based on recommendations from partners or personal networks, without a proper qualification process. Fast forward a few months (or years), and you may discover that the service provider is not fit for purpose, jeopardising compliance, quality standards, or project delivery. So how can companies avoid this? ✅ Have a clear, pragmatic SOP for Service Provider Identification, Selection, and Management. ✅ Implement a robust due diligence process when evaluating new providers. ✅ Develop and maintain a Vendor Management Plan that includes regular performance reviews and re-qualification. 💡 Early structure saves future headaches. A solid vendor management framework is not about adding bureaucracy, it’s about making informed, auditable, and quality-driven decisions. How does your organisation ensure service providers remain fit for purpose over time? #clinicalresearch #qualitymanagement #outsourcing

First it was “offshore.” Now it’s “RISE.” Different name. Same delivery gaps. In the 2000s, we rushed to outsource infrastructure and operations offshore. It sounded efficient. It looked good on the balance sheet. Until… • SLAs were missed • Visibility disappeared • And “coordination” became a full-time job Now, we’re doing it again — but this time it’s called “managed services,” wrapped in a cloud logo, and sold as “RISE with SAP.” What’s changed? Not much. • Requests still take weeks. • Visibility still suffers. • Teams still get burned trying to stitch together workflows across multiple vendors. The packaging improved. But the delivery model? Still allergic to automation. Still relying on humans passing tickets across silos. Still making your internal team the glue. We didn’t build automation into our outsourcing model the first time. And now we’re outsourcing again… without fixing the foundation. It’s not just about what you outsource. It’s about how much operational weight you’re still forced to carry. If your “RISE” feels more like a rerun… Maybe it’s time to ask why we’re still falling for the same pitch.

𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 | 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝘀, 𝗵𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀. There are dark corners in Europe's energy-intensive industries these days, one of which is nitrogen-based fertilizers. Fertilizers are essential for boosting agricultural efficiency, with nitrogen-based fertilizers being the most widely used in Europe. But how are they produced? The process looks like this: Natural Gas → Hydrogen → Ammonia → Ammonium Nitrate → N-fertilizer. Let’s look at some recent developments: 🔸 Due to the war in Ukraine, a significant share of cheap Russian natural gas has been replaced by imports, which are far more expensive 🔸 The import of nitrogen-based fertilizers (essentially natural gas in fertilizer form) from Russia is not banned and continues to flood the market 🔸 The EU is set to enforce decarbonization measures, including a reduction in fertilizer consumption and an increase in CO2 pricing, with the phase-out of free CO2 allowances starting in 2026 And what is about Green Hydrogen / Ammonia production in the future? Will it save the industry? 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺 (CBAM), which imposes levies on carbon-intensive goods entering the EU, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮... So, what are the strategic options now? 🛫 International players might consider a fire sale of their integrated fertilizer production assets in the EU and relocating (to the US? Middle East?) 🧹 Local players need to focus on mastering cost discipline and be prepared for a "last man standing" play

“It is deeply troubling that the EU has become more dependent on phosphorus from Russian mines,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Ragn-Sells Group . ”If Europe is serious about building resilience and safeguarding its food security, we must stop relying on imported raw materials and start recovering the phosphorus we already have in our wastewater.” Between January and June 2025, businesses in EU countries bought various types of phosphorus fertiliser and phosphate from Russia worth around €500 million, according to preliminary data from the European Commission. This represents an increase of more than 30 percent compared to the same period last year. Overall, Russian phosphorus accounts for roughly a quarter of the EU’s total phosphorus imports

Oddbox's 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 as we 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥  & How We Cracked Them Scaling a business isn’t just about creating demand. It's about managing it. It’s about whether your 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 can keep up. At Oddbox, we hit some severe growing pains as we scaled from a small operation to delivering thousands of boxes every week. Here are four of the biggest challenges we tackled - plus what we learned along the way: 1️⃣ 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 (𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 & 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻) We started small - packing boxes in a church hall. Then we moved to a shared warehouse. Then our own warehouse, Then we spilled over into our neighbour's warehouse We realised managing logistics in-house was a nightmare. The fix? Outsourcing to a contract co-packer. The lesson? What works at 1,000 customers won’t work at 10,000. Infrastructure has to scale in phases. 2️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗜𝗬 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 At first, we packed boxes ourselves. Then we brought in contract packers - Hard work to find reliable staff! Then we transitioned to a dedicated co-packer for consistency. The fix? Balancing cost, control, and consistency. The lesson? Sometimes, outsourcing might be the best move at a certain phase of growth. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Surplus produce isn’t predictable. One week? Too many tomatoes. Next week? None at all. The fix? Trust-based relationships with growers & a flexible model. The lesson? If your supply is unpredictable, design your business to embrace adaptability - not fight it. 4️⃣ 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀: 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟲𝘅 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗵𝗶𝘁. Orders jumped from 8,000 to 50,000 weekly boxes. The fix? Scaling logistics, packaging, and delivery - fast. The lesson? Even well-prepared businesses can break under rapid scale. Agile, open and high performing teams & flexible partners are crucial. Scaling isn’t a straight line. Every hurdle forced us to rethink, adapt, and become more resilient. Now your turn: What’s the biggest operational challenge you’ve faced? 👇 #startupoperations #startups #scale #entrepreneurship