Fundamentals of loss management in transport and logistics systems for the delivery of perishable agricultural products
Subject. Management of losses of perishable agricultural products in transport and logistics systems at the stages of transportation, warehousing and retail sale, including technical, organizational, infrastructural, market, regulatory and informational factors. Objectives. Identification of key factors of losses of perishable products in transport and logistics systems and development of a set of measures to minimize them based on the systematization of causes, quantification of losses and analysis of the effectiveness of technological and cooperative solutions. Methods. The research is based on the methods of systematic and comparative analysis, classification, theoretical generalization and synthesis. The empirical base consists of data from Russian and foreign studies, industry reports and practical cases, as well as a generalization of experience in managing cold supply chains. Results. Loss factors are systematized by temperature, technical, organizational, infrastructural, market, regulatory, and information categories. A quantitative assessment of losses at the stages of post-harvest storage, transportation, warehousing, and delivery to retail (and retail sales) has been performed. The effectiveness of technological solutions is analyzed: IoT monitoring (reduction of losses by 15-20%), AI routers (fuel savings of 20%, acceleration of delivery by 25%), crowdsourcing platforms (reduction of logistics costs by 25%), digital twins (reduction of spoilage risks), vacuum packaging (increase in shelf life by 1.5-2 times). The role of cooperative models is substantiated. Conclusions. Loss management requires a comprehensive approach that integrates technical modernization, digital transformation, development of cooperation and improvement of the regulatory framework. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of proposed solutions to reduce losses in agri-food supply chains.