Commodity Trader

Trader – Peanuts

Location: India

Industry: Agri-Commodities / International Trading

Product Focus: Peanuts / Groundnuts

About the Opportunity

Our client, a leading global agricultural trading and supply chain enterprise, is seeking a high-caliber, senior-level Peanuts Trader to spearhead and scale their peanut trading business. This role holds end-to-end accountability for origin sourcing, procurement, risk management, international trade execution, and strategic business development.

The ideal candidate will bring deep domain expertise in the peanut/groundnut sector, an intricate grasp of domestic and cross-border commodity flows, and an established global network spanning producers, aggregators, processors, and international buyers—especially across African and other key global destination markets.

Key Responsibilities

1. Peanut Trading & Business Development

• Independently manage end-to-end commercial trading operations for peanuts across domestic and international markets.
• Identify, evaluate, and capture new physical trading opportunities with a strong emphasis on cross-border growth.
• Cultivate and maintain long-term commercial relationships with global buyers, importers, food processors, and distributors.
• Negotiate transaction pricing, structured trade contracts, commercial terms, and long-term supply arrangements.
• Drive trading volumes, top-line revenue, and gross margin profitability while expanding customer reach.

2. Sourcing & Origin Procurement

• Build and optimize reliable sourcing networks across key peanut-producing regions in India and relevant international origins.
• Partner with trusted farmers, aggregators, mandis, shellers, processors, and export houses.
• Direct procurement strategies aligned with real-time quality parameters, seasonal availability, price trends, and demand patterns.
• Evaluate and develop origin sourcing avenues across African markets where commercially viable.
• Guarantee continuity of supply, cost-effective purchasing, and strict counterparty reliability.

3. Market Intelligence & International Arbitrage

• Actively track global crop forecasts, weather patterns, harvest yields, production figures, and supply-demand fundamentals.
• Maintain deep market intelligence across major peanut-producing and consuming nations.
• Identify and capitalize on import/export arbitrage and multi-origin cross-trade flows.
• Analyze currency fluctuations, freight dynamics, and geopolitical developments impacting commodity pricing.
• Leverage existing market networks across Africa, Asia, and international consumer destinations.

4. Quality Assurance & Trade Execution

• Apply rigorous technical knowledge of peanut varieties, grades, counts, and specifications to trade structures.
• Manage critical quality control parameters, including moisture thresholds, aflatoxin limits, foreign matter, and buyer-specific standards.
• Oversee trade operations seamlessly from origin procurement through quality inspection, warehousing, logistics, and final destination discharge.
• Liaise effectively with third-party inspection agencies, processing plants, logistics providers, and regulatory authorities.
• Ensure full compliance with destination-specific sanitary, phytosanitary, and international food safety standards.

5. Financial & Risk Management

• Oversee trading P&L, commercial margins, working capital allocation, and cash flow cycles.
• Mitigate commercial risks, including price volatility, inventory carry costs, FX exposure, and counterparty default risks.
• Track inventory positions, mark-to-market valuations, and execution timelines.
• Ensure smooth contract enforcement, documentation processing, and prompt settlement/collection of receivables.

Candidate Profile

• Experience: 10–15+ years of dedicated, hands-on experience in physical peanut / groundnut commodity trading.
• Track Record: Proven history of managing profitable trade books, building origin-to-destination supply chains, and delivering volume targets.
• Established Network: Strong, active relationships with peanut suppliers, shellers, exporters, processors, and international buying houses.
• Market Insight: In-depth knowledge of Indian peanut production hubs, mandi operations, quality parameters, and seasonal crop cycles.
• International Scope: Solid background in international trade; exposure to African sourcing/trading corridors is highly advantageous.
• Technical Acumen: Strong familiarity with grading norms, export quality parameters, processing techniques, and aflatoxin control management.
• Commercial Skills: Exceptional negotiation capabilities, sharp analytical acumen, entrepreneurial mindset, and disciplined risk-management instincts.