Production plan for perishable agricultural products with two types of harvesting

Many crops in China have two or more harvesting methods; however, little research has focused on this phenomenon. The current study proposes an operational model that looks to maximize grower profits. This model considers a production plan for a perishable crop that has two harvesting methods: harvesting unripe produce at a lower operational cost but with a long lead time, and harvesting ripe crops at a higher operational cost but with quick turnaround. This study proposes a heuristic algorithm by which to pinpoint the optimal plan for the model; the model results indicate that for a crop with two harvesting methods, significant savings can be obtained by applying an optimal production plan. The current study’s main contribution is a production model for crops that feature two harvesting methods and for which the market poses varying demands.