Simulation of Commercial Mulberry Leaf Collection and Transportation: A Case Study of the Large-Scale Sericulture Group in Ta Bao Subdistrict, Prasat District, Surin Province

Abstract

Transportation plays a crucial role in the development of agricultural logistics systems, as it serves as the primary activity connecting production sources with conSers. It directly influences product quality, operational costs, and the competitiveness of the agricultural sector. Efficient transportation management is therefore a key component in minimizing post-harvest losses, reducing delivery time, and enhancing consumer confidence in terms of product freshness and safety. This research aims to simulate the commercial collection and transportation of mulberry leaves for a selected group of farmers. The simulation was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, farmers were classified using the K-Means clustering method, resulting in seven distinct groups. The collection center locations were then determined using the Center of Gravity analysis, followed by the design of collection routes from farmers to collection centers using the Nearest Neighbour Heuristic (NNH) method. The routes were subsequently optimized using the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) approach, yielding a minimum total distance of 155.66 kilometers. In the second stage, the study focused on designing the transportation routes from all collection centers to the buyer, employing the same methodology as in the first stage. The shortest total distance obtained was 308 kilometers. Combining both stages resulted in an overall optimized transportation distance of 463.66 kilometers. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers and relevant agencies in supporting the cultivation of commercially viable mulberry leaf varieties and promoting the development of commercial mulberry leaf markets, thereby enhancing farmers’ income and contributing to sustainable agricultural logistics management.