Chain management challenges and market power in the Chinese fresh produce sector

The paper provides both a descriptive and an analytical understanding of how the possibilities for chain management and logistics are linked to the distribution of market power within the supply chain for fresh produce in China. The article is structured around four parts. The first outlines the concept of power in supply chains and the types of chain associated with dyadic buyer-seller transactions. The second part provides some typologies of supply chains in the Chinese fresh produce sector based on the key functional stages. The third section examines in detail the main characteristics of the chains and the power relationships in dyadic exchange, and the types of chain management structures emerging in relation to the power distribution through the chains. The final section examines the logistical and developmental challenges facing China's fresh produce sector.