Managing quality heterogeneity in mango deliveries
proved to be intimately related to the organization of the
supply chain. Variability in management practices related
to input use, variety choice, harvest time and packaging
procedures leads to a wide dispersion in mango quality.
This is further reinforced by differences in selection, storage
and temperature management at subsequent chain
layers. Socio-economic factors giving rise to diversity
amongst mango producers in terms of access to (technical)
knowledge and (market) information explain to a large extent
the registered differences in production and management
practices. Effective linkages with downstream
agents appear to be critical to guarantee appropriate incentives
for managing homogeneous quality in upstream
segments.