Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
Graders and sorters (agricultural products) grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, colour, or condition.
A grader's job description includes filtering the impurities from good products in any set of produce. This involves throwing out the defective and/or damaged products, separating the good ones and arranging them in baskets to be shipped for further production. Sometimes, the grader/sorter may also be tasked with some extra duties, such as discarding leaves from a specific vegetable or fruit. They also record their inventory data. On the job, they place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
In the sorter job, one does not require to hold any high educational requirements. A high school diploma will suffice to get hired in most places, and a candidate will most likely be asked to undergo a specialized training course before being accepted for this position.
Graders and sorters, in agricultural products jobs, are generally required to develop their soft skills of monitoring, active listening, speaking, critical thinking, judgement and decision making, time management, complex problem-solving, service orientation and quality control analysis.
To succeed in a grader job description, one must be able to do inductive and deductive reasoning, have finger and manual dexterity and possess static strength.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- Certificate Organic Farming
- Training and Certificate Agriculture Skill Council of India
- Training and Certificate Skill Training of Rural Youth
Tasks
- Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
- Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
- Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
- Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
- Record grade or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets.
- Separate fiber tufts between fingers to assess strength, uniformity, and cohesive quality of fibers.
Progression Routes
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