Impact of COVID-19 on fresh produce supply chains

Policy brief 25 Oct 2022 COVID-19

Authors

Farming remains the predominant occupation and source of income for 48% of the population of Punjab, Pakistan.
Recent studies have provided suggestive evidence on the exploitation of farmers by middlemen through low offer prices and informal loans.
Very little research has been done to investigate this influential position occupied by the different tiers of middlemen in the agriculture supply chain in Pakistan.
This study examines how COVID-related restrictions affected the price shares of farmers and middlemen.
The findings reveal that farmers’ price shares reduced significantly by 12% during COVID lockdowns. Middlemen, on the other hand, increased their share of retail price by 6% from a baseline share of 65%.