Produce Sourcing & Supply Chain Management

Farm Scouting & Vendor Acquisition: Regularly visit farms and agricultural regions to identify, evaluate, and onboard reputable farmers and commercial growers of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Procurement & Price Negotiation: Negotiate farm-gate pricing, supply volumes, and harvest schedules to meet market demand while maintaining cost efficiency.
Quality & Yield Planning: Build seasonal supply projections for key produce lines and establish out-grower networks to secure consistent, year-round inventory.

Agronomy & Technical Support

Field Audits & GAP Compliance: Conduct pre-harvest inspections to ensure farm management practices align with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), minimum residue limits (MRLs), and client quality standards.
Crop Advisory: Provide technical agronomic advice to partner farmers regarding soil nutrition, pest and disease management, irrigation schedules, and optimal harvesting windows.
Post-Harvest Loss Prevention: Train farmers and field harvesters on proper harvesting techniques, handling, sorting, and field-level cooling/packaging to protect shelf life.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

Inspect harvested fruits and vegetables at the field level prior to dispatch to ensure strict adherence to weight, color, size, and defect specifications.
Implement traceability protocols to track produce back to specific farm locations and harvest batches.
Monitor pest and chemical residue risks, ensuring all sourced produce meets regulatory and food safety requirements.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Agronomy, Horticulture, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, or a closely related field.
Experience: Minimum of 3–5 years of practical experience in field agronomy, fresh produce sourcing, or commercial horticulture management.
Sourcing Expertise: Demonstrated track record of farm-level procurement, negotiating with farmers/out growers, and managing supply chains for perishable fruits and vegetables.
Technical Knowledge: Strong understanding of fruit and vegetable pest/disease profiles, harvest maturity indices, soil chemistry, and post-harvest handling.
Mobility: Valid driving/riding license, alongside a willingness to travel extensively to rural farms, agricultural zones, and packhouses.

Erforderliche Kompetenzen

Farm scouting and field assessmentVendor/farmer acquisition and onboardingPrice negotiation for farm-gate procurementFresh produce procurement and perishables supply-chain managementSeasonal supply planning and yield forecastingOut-grower network development and managementGood Agricultural Practices (GAP) compliance and field auditsMaximum Residue Limits (MRL) monitoring and chemical residue risk managementCrop agronomy and technical advisory (soil nutrition, pests, irrigation)Post-harvest handling and loss-prevention techniquesField-level quality inspection against weight, color, size, and defect specificationsTraceability protocol implementation for farm-to-batch trackingField mobility and driving (valid driving/riding license and rural travel)

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