June 30, 2025 | Arts of Management Journal |
This study conducted by Rangsit University, Thailand examined how different transportation modes affect the competitiveness of Thailand’s fruit exports to China. Thailand is a major supplier of tropical fruits to the Chinese market, but maintaining product quality during transport remains a challenge due to perishability and logistical constraints. The study aimed to compare sea, land, and air transportation in terms of transit time, cost, spoilage risk, and operational efficiency.
A mixed-method approach was applied, combining quantitative export and logistics data with interviews involving exporters, importers, logistics operators, and government officials. The analysis showed that sea transport handled the largest share of exports, accounting for approximately 51% of total shipments. Although sea transport offered lower costs, transit times ranged from 4 to 10 days and fruit spoilage rates for mangoes could reach 5% per day. Land transport reduced delivery time to 2–7 days but faced delays at border checkpoints due to customs procedures. Air transport provided the fastest delivery, approximately six hours, but transportation costs were around ten times higher than sea freight.
The study highlights the trade-offs between transportation cost and product freshness. It recommends developing integrated multimodal logistics systems, improving cold chain technologies through IoT-based monitoring, and strengthening cross-border coordination between Thailand and China to improve efficiency and reduce postharvest losses in tropical fruit trade.
