Development of the grain crops supply chain model

Abstract

The possibility of optimization of the grain crops supply chain taking into account the interests of the farm is investigated in the work. The main trends in the agricultural sector of Ukraine, which directly or indirectly affect the activities of the farm, are analyzed in the work.
It is established that the choice of the most optimal means of transport for grain crops transportation allows the farm to reduce the cost of the logistics supply chain, which in turn will lead to increased profitability and expansion of the agricultural sector. The solution to this problem is possible through the modeling of the grain crops logistics supply chain. To form a model of the grain crops supply chain the process of grain delivery as a system that contains many acceptable alternatives for making the most rational decision. The proposed model is presented in form of a "black box" model. The objective function of this model for farms is to make a rational decision on the process of grain delivery in order to maximize profits by optimizing the costs of such supply chain and ensuring the development of farming as an activity.
The original variables of this model are: grain crops yields and grain crops humidity; farm’s sown area; harvesting equipment efficiency; own granaries capacity; cost for grain storage in own granary or for elevator service; grain share depending on the storage place; sales price of grain crops: to the internal buyer, at the grain reception center, at the port terminal, and also weather and climate conditions during harvest (favorable / unfavorable conditions).
The initial indicators that will characterize the success of the grain delivery process will be the following one: harvest duration, harvest amount, trucking cost, average daily harvest duration, additional costs obtained by managing grain humidity, magnitude of crop losses due to the harvest duration, magnitude of losses due to the grain quality reduction (with mixing, without mixing).
The proposed model will consider all these factors and their impact on harvesting, storage and transportation of grain crops, and will help to take into account the costs for farms depending on the situation.