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Economy and Food Security 2026, 1(1): 12-22 |
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Mousavian S N, Hosseini S. (2026). Identification and Prioritization of Factors Affecting Citrus Exports using MCDM Methods (Case study: Mazandaran Province). Economy and Food Security. 1(1), 12-22. doi:10.61882/efs.2025.50
URL: http://efs.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-50-en.html
URL: http://efs.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-50-en.html
1- Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Engineering, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran
2- Department of Forest Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Guilan, Iran
2- Department of Forest Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Guilan, Iran
Abstract: (1334 Views)
Extended Abstract
Background: In the current global economy, the volume of international trade has expanded to the point where certain countries now hold a significantly larger share of world trade than their corresponding share in global production. As the volume of global trade increases every year, it is necessary for each country to make continuous and intensified efforts in line with this growth. Therefore, the rapid expansion of global agricultural trade in recent decades has further highlighted the importance of analyzing and strengthening the export of horticultural products. Among these, the export of agricultural products, particularly citrus fruits, holds an important role and a special place in the country’s economy. More than 45% of the total citrus orchard area in Iran is located in Mazandaran Province, which ranks second in the country in terms of citrus yield per hectare. Mazandaran’s share of global citrus production is around 1.65%. Despite the province’s extensive potential in citrus production, the export performance of this product is influenced by a range of economic, technical, structural, and institutional factors. A precise and scientific understanding of these factors is essential for policymaking and planning. Therefore, identifying and prioritizing the factors affecting citrus exports can enhance competitiveness in international markets, improve the efficiency of the citrus value chain, and strengthen the economic conditions of producers and exporters.
Method: In this study, the influential and significant factors affecting citrus exports from Mazandaran Province, Iran, were identified and analyzed from five perspectives: marketing, transportation, administrative and customs regulations, warehousing, and packaging, using the opinions of experts and specialists in the field of citrus exports. The entropy technique was employed to calculate the weight of each factor, and the TOPSIS method was used for prioritization. Through the completion of 30 questionnaires, a total of 34 factors (indicators) affecting citrus exports were identified across the five dimensions. The marketing dimension included 11 factors, such as the presence of intermediaries in citrus marketing, the lack of familiarity with citrus marketing principles, high transportation and storage costs, quality of exported citrus, the absence of an internationally recognized brand, inconsistency in export activities, the establishment of trade offices in target countries, the organization of domestic and international exhibitions for promotion, failure to identify consumer preferences in target markets, and long customs clearance times. The transportation dimension comprised four factors, including transportation infrastructure, quality of transport vehicles, long transit times from production to export, and transportation costs. The administrative and customs regulations dimension included eight factors, such as credit and export facilities, insufficient and unstable support policies, high customs tariffs, political and trade relations with destination countries, complex and variable export laws, multiplicity of decision-making centers in exports, insufficient familiarity with international trade regulations, and instability of national export policies. The warehousing dimension consisted of six factors, including insufficient warehouse capacity, quality and sanitary standards of citrus warehouses, availability of suitable storage facilities, inadequate cold storage and preservation environments, development and equipping of export terminals, and inappropriate warehouse locations. Finally, the packaging dimension included five factors, such as mechanized packaging and sorting systems, labeling, packaging size, attractiveness, and packaging strength. These factors collectively provided a comprehensive framework for evaluating and prioritizing the elements that influence citrus export performance in the province.
Results: The results of weighting the factors using the entropy technique indicated that the marketing criteria of citrus had the highest weight (0.3234), followed by administrative and customs regulations (0.2355), warehousing (0.1761), packaging (0.1470), and transportation (0.1180). Within each dimension, the factor with the highest weight included organizing domestic and international exhibitions for promoting citrus in the marketing dimension (0.68275), multiplicity of decision-making centers in citrus exports in the administrative and customs regulations dimension (0.67841), inappropriate warehouse locations in the warehousing dimension (0.66667), packaging strength in the packaging dimension (0.60369), and the quality of transportation vehicles in the transportation dimension (0.59622). The prioritization of factors using the TOPSIS method further revealed that marketing, administrative and customs regulations, warehousing, packaging, and transportation are sequentially the most important dimensions affecting citrus exports. Within these dimensions, the most influential individual factors in order of priority were organizing domestic and international exhibitions for citrus promotion, multiplicity of decision-making centers in citrus exports, inappropriate warehouse locations, development and equipping of export terminals, and political and trade relations with destination countries. These findings provide a clear understanding of the key factors that significantly influence the performance of citrus exports and offer practical guidance for policymakers and exporters to enhance competitiveness and improve the efficiency of the citrus value chain.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that enhancing marketing knowledge, facilitating regulations, improving storage and transportation infrastructure, and standardizing packaging processes can directly increase the competitiveness of citrus exports. In addition, complementary and decisive actions, such as organizing specialized exhibitions, streamlining decision-making structures, improving warehouse and export terminal locations and equipment, and strengthening political and trade relations with destination countries, play a critical role in developing citrus exports. Collectively, these results underscore the necessity of formulating and implementing coordinated, long-term, export-oriented policies that can create conditions for sustainable growth in citrus exports and increase their share in global markets.
Background: In the current global economy, the volume of international trade has expanded to the point where certain countries now hold a significantly larger share of world trade than their corresponding share in global production. As the volume of global trade increases every year, it is necessary for each country to make continuous and intensified efforts in line with this growth. Therefore, the rapid expansion of global agricultural trade in recent decades has further highlighted the importance of analyzing and strengthening the export of horticultural products. Among these, the export of agricultural products, particularly citrus fruits, holds an important role and a special place in the country’s economy. More than 45% of the total citrus orchard area in Iran is located in Mazandaran Province, which ranks second in the country in terms of citrus yield per hectare. Mazandaran’s share of global citrus production is around 1.65%. Despite the province’s extensive potential in citrus production, the export performance of this product is influenced by a range of economic, technical, structural, and institutional factors. A precise and scientific understanding of these factors is essential for policymaking and planning. Therefore, identifying and prioritizing the factors affecting citrus exports can enhance competitiveness in international markets, improve the efficiency of the citrus value chain, and strengthen the economic conditions of producers and exporters.
Method: In this study, the influential and significant factors affecting citrus exports from Mazandaran Province, Iran, were identified and analyzed from five perspectives: marketing, transportation, administrative and customs regulations, warehousing, and packaging, using the opinions of experts and specialists in the field of citrus exports. The entropy technique was employed to calculate the weight of each factor, and the TOPSIS method was used for prioritization. Through the completion of 30 questionnaires, a total of 34 factors (indicators) affecting citrus exports were identified across the five dimensions. The marketing dimension included 11 factors, such as the presence of intermediaries in citrus marketing, the lack of familiarity with citrus marketing principles, high transportation and storage costs, quality of exported citrus, the absence of an internationally recognized brand, inconsistency in export activities, the establishment of trade offices in target countries, the organization of domestic and international exhibitions for promotion, failure to identify consumer preferences in target markets, and long customs clearance times. The transportation dimension comprised four factors, including transportation infrastructure, quality of transport vehicles, long transit times from production to export, and transportation costs. The administrative and customs regulations dimension included eight factors, such as credit and export facilities, insufficient and unstable support policies, high customs tariffs, political and trade relations with destination countries, complex and variable export laws, multiplicity of decision-making centers in exports, insufficient familiarity with international trade regulations, and instability of national export policies. The warehousing dimension consisted of six factors, including insufficient warehouse capacity, quality and sanitary standards of citrus warehouses, availability of suitable storage facilities, inadequate cold storage and preservation environments, development and equipping of export terminals, and inappropriate warehouse locations. Finally, the packaging dimension included five factors, such as mechanized packaging and sorting systems, labeling, packaging size, attractiveness, and packaging strength. These factors collectively provided a comprehensive framework for evaluating and prioritizing the elements that influence citrus export performance in the province.
Results: The results of weighting the factors using the entropy technique indicated that the marketing criteria of citrus had the highest weight (0.3234), followed by administrative and customs regulations (0.2355), warehousing (0.1761), packaging (0.1470), and transportation (0.1180). Within each dimension, the factor with the highest weight included organizing domestic and international exhibitions for promoting citrus in the marketing dimension (0.68275), multiplicity of decision-making centers in citrus exports in the administrative and customs regulations dimension (0.67841), inappropriate warehouse locations in the warehousing dimension (0.66667), packaging strength in the packaging dimension (0.60369), and the quality of transportation vehicles in the transportation dimension (0.59622). The prioritization of factors using the TOPSIS method further revealed that marketing, administrative and customs regulations, warehousing, packaging, and transportation are sequentially the most important dimensions affecting citrus exports. Within these dimensions, the most influential individual factors in order of priority were organizing domestic and international exhibitions for citrus promotion, multiplicity of decision-making centers in citrus exports, inappropriate warehouse locations, development and equipping of export terminals, and political and trade relations with destination countries. These findings provide a clear understanding of the key factors that significantly influence the performance of citrus exports and offer practical guidance for policymakers and exporters to enhance competitiveness and improve the efficiency of the citrus value chain.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that enhancing marketing knowledge, facilitating regulations, improving storage and transportation infrastructure, and standardizing packaging processes can directly increase the competitiveness of citrus exports. In addition, complementary and decisive actions, such as organizing specialized exhibitions, streamlining decision-making structures, improving warehouse and export terminal locations and equipment, and strengthening political and trade relations with destination countries, play a critical role in developing citrus exports. Collectively, these results underscore the necessity of formulating and implementing coordinated, long-term, export-oriented policies that can create conditions for sustainable growth in citrus exports and increase their share in global markets.
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