GOAL PROGRAMMING APPROACH FOR SOLVING HEPTAGONAL FUZZY TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM UNDER BUDGETARY CONSTRAINT

Transportation problem (TP) is a special type of linear programming problem (LPP) where the objective is to minimize the cost of distributing a product from several sources (or origins) to some destinations. This paper addresses a transportation problem in which the costs, supplies, and demands are represented as heptagonal fuzzy numbers. After converting the problem into the corresponding crisp TP using the ranking method, a goal programming (GP) approach is applied for obtaining the optimal solution. The advantage of GP for the decision-maker is easy to explain and implement in real life transportation. The stability set of the first kind corresponding to the optimal solution is determined. A numerical example is given to highlight the solution approach.