Export Development Strategies for Iranian Plums with Emphasis on the Quality of Packaging in the Global Market

The biggest food producer challenge is loss the quality of food products during storage, and reduce the quality of packaging. The aim of present study is to identify solutions for the development of Iranian plums export, with emphasis on packaging quality. This study was conducted with the participation of 30 active experts in the field of dried fruits export. Delphi technique was used as the research method in identification and ranking of effective factors on improvement of the packaging quality. Then the interaction between effective factors on the improvement of packaging quality determined using dematel and Fuzzy ANP tests. Findings indicate that the most important factors in improving the quality of packaging to develop the plum export market are shape, size, type of materials, type of label, quality control, health and protection, cost, and design innovation which proportional solutions are provided for each one. Among the research proposals based on the findings are awareness of the environmental conditions and ecological characteristics of the target country for fitting of materials used in packaging and the distinction of the type and gender materials for the preservation of plum product. As well as close monitoring of the product quality and the quality of packaging, the role of protective packaging according to the target country, innovation in packaging design and attention to consistency and similarity in size, shape and weight in packaging and alignment with the cultural values of that country in packaging are proposed.