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Modelling and analysis of blockchain implementation challenges in Indian agri-food supply chain management using the IMF-SWARA technique

Gupta, Sumit ; Ansari, Hammad ; Joshi, Deepika ; Gupta, Rahul ; Jagtap, Sandeep LU orcid ; Prakash, Surya and Mor, Rahul S (2025) In Logforum 21(3). p.405-418
Abstract
Background: India's agriculture and food sector is the backbone of the nation, sustaining a large portion of the population and contributing to global exports. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generate the bulk of the world's food despite lacking adequate technological infrastructure and operational standards. This study identifies and evaluates the main blockchain challenges affecting food SMEs. The adoption of blockchain technology (BCT) in the agri-food supply chain offers numerous benefits, including improved supply chain performance, transparent information exchange, and reduced data tampering.

Methods: This study examines the challenges encountered during the adoption of BCT and aims to highlight the factors that... (More)
Background: India's agriculture and food sector is the backbone of the nation, sustaining a large portion of the population and contributing to global exports. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generate the bulk of the world's food despite lacking adequate technological infrastructure and operational standards. This study identifies and evaluates the main blockchain challenges affecting food SMEs. The adoption of blockchain technology (BCT) in the agri-food supply chain offers numerous benefits, including improved supply chain performance, transparent information exchange, and reduced data tampering.

Methods: This study examines the challenges encountered during the adoption of BCT and aims to highlight the factors that inhibit its implementation in the Indian agri-food supply chain (AFSC). Challenges were first identified through a literature review and then validated by a panel of five experts via a questionnaire survey. To prioritise these challenges, the Improved Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (IMF-SWARA) integrated with the Triangular Fuzzy Bonferroni Mean (TFBM) method was applied.

Results: The identified challenges were evaluated using the integrated IMF-SWARA and TFBM approach. Lack of management commitment, negative perception of BCT, and high implementation costs emerged as the primary obstacles to BCT adoption in the Indian AFSC.

Conclusion: Agriculture remains the foundation of livelihoods in India, with the nation still highly dependent on the sector, unlike Western countries. The research identified and prioritised the challenges of BCT implementation in the Indian agri-food supply chain using the integrated IMF-SWARA and TFBM approach. The findings are valuable for supply chain professionals and policymakers seeking to adopt blockchain technology. Furthermore, this research can be extended to explore blockchain challenges in specific functions such as procurement, warehousing, and distribution within the Indian agri-food industry. Future studies could employ more advanced multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) fuzzy integrated approaches to analyse the data and enable more robust comparisons, thereby validating and complementing the results obtained through IMF SWARA and TFBN. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Logforum
volume
21
issue
3
pages
405 - 418
publisher
Poznan School of Logistics
ISSN
1895-2038
DOI
10.17270/J.LOG.001243
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4e8cf261-4172-41dd-8e9f-1d96e8a261e2
date added to LUP
2025-09-22 11:12:03
date last changed
2025-10-07 09:57:06
@article{4e8cf261-4172-41dd-8e9f-1d96e8a261e2,
  abstract     = {{Background: India's agriculture and food sector is the backbone of the nation, sustaining a large portion of the population and contributing to global exports. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generate the bulk of the world's food despite lacking adequate technological infrastructure and operational standards. This study identifies and evaluates the main blockchain challenges affecting food SMEs. The adoption of blockchain technology (BCT) in the agri-food supply chain offers numerous benefits, including improved supply chain performance, transparent information exchange, and reduced data tampering.<br/><br/>Methods: This study examines the challenges encountered during the adoption of BCT and aims to highlight the factors that inhibit its implementation in the Indian agri-food supply chain (AFSC). Challenges were first identified through a literature review and then validated by a panel of five experts via a questionnaire survey. To prioritise these challenges, the Improved Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (IMF-SWARA) integrated with the Triangular Fuzzy Bonferroni Mean (TFBM) method was applied.<br/><br/>Results: The identified challenges were evaluated using the integrated IMF-SWARA and TFBM approach. Lack of management commitment, negative perception of BCT, and high implementation costs emerged as the primary obstacles to BCT adoption in the Indian AFSC.  <br/><br/>Conclusion:  Agriculture remains the foundation of livelihoods in India, with the nation still highly dependent on the sector, unlike Western countries. The research identified and prioritised the challenges of BCT implementation in the Indian agri-food supply chain using the integrated IMF-SWARA and TFBM approach. The findings are valuable for supply chain professionals and policymakers seeking to adopt blockchain technology. Furthermore, this research can be extended to explore blockchain challenges in specific functions such as procurement, warehousing, and distribution within the Indian agri-food industry. Future studies could employ more advanced multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) fuzzy integrated approaches to analyse the data and enable more robust comparisons, thereby validating and complementing the results obtained through IMF SWARA and TFBN.}},
  author       = {{Gupta, Sumit and Ansari, Hammad and Joshi, Deepika and Gupta, Rahul and Jagtap, Sandeep and Prakash, Surya and Mor, Rahul S}},
  issn         = {{1895-2038}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{405--418}},
  publisher    = {{Poznan School of Logistics}},
  series       = {{Logforum}},
  title        = {{Modelling and analysis of blockchain implementation challenges in Indian agri-food supply chain management using the IMF-SWARA technique}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/228285688/21_3_6_25.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.17270/J.LOG.001243}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}