September 20, 2021

Why Blockchain Can Change the Agriculture Industry - Part 3

Together Agency

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Download our brochure to learn how blockchain technology will revolutionize the Agriculture industry through superior supply chain traceability, enabling unprecedented profitability and shorter business cycles by up to 80%.




Intro

In this new three-part blog series, we look at how blockchain-based solutions can add many benefits to the agriculture industry.

Due to its digital nature, blockchain technology offers real-time data security and transparency through a shared online ledger of transactions and other relevant data.

In Part 1, we discussed the value blockchain-based solutions provide for farmers such as food safety assurance, agricultural input verification, land title registration, and fair subsidy distribution.

In Part 2, we looked at the value blockchain-based solutions provide for enterprises in the agriculture industry, enabling greater production and sustainability.

In Part 3, we will explain how blockchain can fix agriculture procurement, which has not seen significant modernization in decades.

Reconciling broken supply chains

Manufacturers should re-align with new suppliers in relatively stable regions to meet the volatile increase in demand and ensure supply chain continuity.

However, the disadvantage of this choice is the lack of trust typical of new trade partnerships, the inability to undertake physical verification, and the absence of reliable performance data.

Similarly, suppliers can seek new buyers to liquidate inventory but need assurances of prompt payment.

Other supply chain participants, such as financiers and logistics providers, must also redesign their activities to remain operational.

However, aligning these supply chains is not straightforward, considering each entity’s disparate and disconnected structures.

Although traditional methods such as spreadsheets and email effectively get things started, they are unsustainable for large-scale operations and inevitably result in data inconsistency and disputes.

By allowing accurate and reliable information to flow across the supply chain, blockchain technology may resolve these issues in real-time and in an efficient, digital manner.

Blockchain’s impact on procurement

Blockchain technology would allow unprecedented transparency across the entire Source-to-Pay process and supply chain.

Numerous use cases for blockchain technology exist today and provide quantifiable benefits to procurement and supply chain management.

One of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today is monitoring and tracing items before, during, and after shipping.

Far too often, a vendor will send an item to a warehouse where it is exchanged for a knockoff without notifying the buyer.

The distributed ledger functionality of blockchain enables greater visibility and control for buyers and sellers from shipment to receipt, thus lowering the risk of fraud.

The palm oil blockchain use case

Blockchain technology enables the tracking and traceability of transactions from the start of the supply chain (raw materials) to the end-user (retail), which is critical for both company brands and customers.

Purposeful procurement is needed to provide customers with the clarity they want.

Complete visibility across the entire supply chain is valuable.

Just 17% of the world’s palm oil output is certified sustainably produced.

The WWF is collaborating with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to achieve the target of certified palm oil at 100 percent, a goal which can be attained using a tailored digital track and trace solution built on blockchain technology.

Using blockchain technology to ensure data integrity

In a blockchain-enabled environment, procurement teams may react more quickly to unexpected issues and continue doing business with less-affected players.

It becomes easier to screen and onboard new suppliers using standardized APIs and business connectors, as well as track quality control and performance benchmarking.

Similarly, such sites can provide accurate data on a buyer’s payment history and reputation.

By minimizing delays and ensuring that products enter the areas most in need first, efficiency in supplier screening and onboarding can increase supply chain performance.

Data streamlining eliminates bottlenecks and guarantees accuracy

Consistency of data around the supply chain can make a significant difference when partnering with new business, both as a customer and as a supplier.

Smart contracts may be used to automate payments upon transaction completion, thus eradicating conflicts by instant invoice verification.

Links to real-time data can assist logistics service providers in optimizing distribution schedules and eliminating bottlenecks.

Buyers may establish auditable ties and use blockchain to verify the authenticity of components used in the finished product or even the quality of ingredients in consumables and ensure that goods are sourced ethically and adhere to fair labor practices.

Twenty years ago, procurement made a significant bet on a fringe technology known as the Internet, which paved the way for a completely new paradigm of buying and selling.

By adopting blockchain, procurement organizations will pioneer the next wave of business-to-business collaboration technologies that will fundamentally alter the game rules.

Integrate EMURGO’s Trace Solution To Improve Your Agriculture Supply Chain

As a founding entity of the Cardano protocol, EMURGO is able to leverage its abilities for large scale blockchain development and rapid solutions deployment to benefit its global clients.

Via EMURGO’s customized Trace Solution, your organization can benefit from all of the services mentioned above, including food safety and product verification, input management, land registration, subsidy accounting, which can all be tailored to your organization’s industry needs to increase business margins.

For more information and to receive customized feedback, please send your inquiries to info@emurgo.io and our team will get back to you in a timely manner to help you develop and implement an efficient digital blockchain solution.

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