Procurement Manager

Role Overview

The Procurement Manager will be responsible for end-to-end banana procurement, with strong hands-on experience in Yelakki and G9 bananas, managing farmer sourcing, quality control, manpower, and coordination with modern trade, quick commerce, B2B, B2C, and export operations.

This is a field-driven role requiring deep knowledge of banana harvest maturity, post-harvest handling, and retailer-specific quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Banana Procurement & Sourcing

• End-to-end procurement of Yelakki, G9, Red Banana, Nendran, and other varieties.
• Build and manage direct farmer networks and FPOs in Mysuru, Mettur, Trichy, and surrounding regions.
• Plan procurement volumes aligned with modern trade, quick commerce, B2B, B2C, and export demand.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, and seasonal supply commitments.
• Set up New Collection centers.

2. Yelakki & Regional Expertise (Critical)

• Strong hands-on experience in Yelakki banana procurement from the Mysuru belt.
• Practical knowledge of harvest stage, bunch maturity, finger size, peel quality, and shelf-life management.
• Understanding of regional variations in G9 quality from Karnataka, Andhra and Tamil Nādu.

3. Modern Trade & Quick Commerce Quality Management

• Deep awareness of Modern Trade (MT) and Quick Commerce (QC) retailer quality standards such as:
• Size uniformity, colour index, finger count, and cosmetic appearance
• Residue compliance, cleanliness, and packing standards
• Tight rejection tolerances and audit requirements
• Ensure procurement and grading meet QC turnaround timelines (same-day/next-day dispatch).
• Reduce rejections and penalties from MT & QC partners through right harvest and grading decisions.

4. Quality Control & Post-Harvest Operations

• Oversee harvesting, de-handing, grading, packing, transport, cold storage, and ripening operations.
• Coordinate with ripening chambers to meet retailer-specific ripeness windows.
• Implement SOPs to minimize post-harvest losses and quality degradation.
• Support export-grade sourcing where required.

5. Team Hiring & Manpower Management

• Recruit and manage line supervisors, procurement executives, and field staff.
• Organize and handle labour teams, including migrant labour (e.g., Bengal teams).
• Ensure productivity, attendance, safety, and local compliance.

6. Coordination with Sales, Ops & Export Teams

• Align daily procurement with sales forecasts and dispatch plans.
• Work closely with modern trade category teams, quick commerce planners, and export coordinators.
• Support new retailer onboarding and quality trials.

7. Reporting & Compliance

• Maintain daily procurement MIS: arrivals, dispatches, rejections, wastage, pricing, and margins.
• Track supplier and farmer performance.
• Ensure compliance with FSSAI, retailer audits, and internal SOPs.