Head of Agri Business Job Description and KRAs

A Head of Agri Business leads the agriculture business of a company, from farmer sourcing and input sales to produce procurement and market linkage. They own the revenue, margin and farmer base of the business and set its strategy. The role reports to the Chief Executive Officer or Managing Director. A good head of agri business grows the farmer network and procurement volume, keeps input sales and produce trading profitable, builds a reliable field team, manages weather and price risk, and turns scattered farm level activity into a business that both farmers and the company gain from.

Detail	For this role
Department	Agriculture and Food Processing
Level	Senior management
Reports to	Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports	Agri Business Manager, Head of Agronomy, Farm Manager
Experience	15+ years in agri business with leadership across seasons

Head of Agri Business job description template

Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.

Job title: Head of Agri Business

Department: Agriculture and Food Processing

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Set the strategy for the agri business across inputs, procurement, farmer engagement and market linkage.
Own the revenue, margin and growth of the agri business through the year.
Grow the farmer base and the volume of produce sourced from them.
Drive input sales such as seeds, fertilizers and crop protection through the channel.
Build market linkage so procured produce is sold at a good realisation.
Manage weather, price and credit risk across the crop cycle.
Lead the field, agronomy and procurement teams and hold them to targets.
Build relationships with farmers, dealers, mandis and institutional buyers.
Keep the business compliant with agri, food and trade regulations.
Review business performance against targets each month and act on the gaps.

Requirements

Degree in agriculture, an MBA in agribusiness an advantage
Deep knowledge of crops and rural markets
Long experience in agri business
15+ years in agri business with leadership across seasons

KRAs and KPIs for a Head of Agri Business

Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.

Key result area	How to measure it
Business revenue	Agri business revenue and margin meet the annual target
Procurement volume	Produce procurement volume achieved against the seasonal target
Farmer base	Active farmer base grown against the agreed target
Input sales	Input sales target achieved through the dealer and field channel
Realisation	Produce sold at realisation above the agreed benchmark
Risk	Weather, price and credit losses kept within the agreed limit

Skills and tools

Agri business strategyProcurement and tradingInput salesMarket linkageFarmer engagementPrice and risk managementTeam leadershipCommercial judgementStakeholder managementDecision making

Tools used day to day: ERP and procurement systems, MS Excel, Commodity price feeds, Farmer and dealer management tools, Business dashboards.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: Agri Business Manager, Head of Agronomy, Procurement Head
Next roles: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Business Head

Interview questions for a Head of Agri Business

How do you grow a farmer base and keep it loyal season after season?
How do you balance input sales with produce procurement in one business?
How do you manage price risk when you buy produce and sell it later?
How do you build market linkage for produce sourced from small farmers?
How do you lead a field team across scattered villages?
How do you handle a season where weather ruins the crop you counted on?

Managing a Head of Agri Business in ZeniaHR

AttendanceOffice and field based on general hours with heavy travel across villages and mandis in season. Use web punch from approved office networks and mobile app punch with location for field visits, recorded through on duty requests.LeavePlan leave away from sowing, harvest and procurement peaks when the business is busiest, and name a deputy to hold approvals. The leave ledger tracks balances and the team leave calendar shows cover.Performance and KRAsSet business revenue, procurement volume and farmer base as goals in an annual review cycle with monthly reviews. Use praise badges and the company wall to recognise strong field teams and procurement seasons.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a Head of Agri Business do?

A Head of Agri Business leads the agriculture business of a company, from farmer sourcing and input sales to produce procurement and market linkage. They own its revenue, margin and farmer base, set strategy, manage weather and price risk, and lead the field, agronomy and procurement teams.

What skills does a Head of Agri Business need?

The role needs agri business strategy, procurement and trading, input sales and market linkage, plus strong price and risk management across the crop cycle. Add farmer engagement, team leadership and commercial judgement, along with deep knowledge of crops and rural markets built over many seasons.

What qualifications does a Head of Agri Business need?

Most roles ask for a degree in agriculture, often with an MBA in agribusiness, and long experience running an agri business across seasons. Employers value a record of growing farmer bases, procurement and input sales while managing weather and price risk profitably.