Assessment of barriers towards a sustainable and resilient poultry industry supply chain: A developing country viewpoint after COVID-19

Abstract

The devastating COVID-19 epidemic has highlighted the weaknesses in supply chains (SCs) globally. To ensure smooth production in the current and post-COVID-19 era, the policymakers should focus on establishing a sustainable and resilient supply chain (SC) by reconfiguring their existing SC strategies. This study aims to investigate the difficulties poultry industry (PI) faces in coping with the effects of SC disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic from a developing country viewpoint: Bangladesh. Through literature review and expert opinion, 20 barriers were identified and categorized into five dimensions (i.e., social, environmental, economic, technical, and institutional) related to sustainability and resilience. Pareto analysis was conducted to screen out ‘Vital few’ barriers and later prominence vectors and cause-effect relationships of these barriers was examined through decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. Results indicate that natural and man- made disasters, quality of chicks, feed and vaccine, inaccurate forecasting, lack of access to technology, and environmental issues are the most significant barriers to achieve sustainability and resiliency. Also, the mitigation strategies to achieve simultaneous sustainability and resiliency in this sector are outlined for managers and practitioners.