Why total stock is not enough
Saying the godown has 300 bags of wheat tells you very little. Which farmer did they come from? Which arrived first? Which lot has been sold but not yet lifted by the buyer? In mandi trade and cold storage, each lot has its own owner, quality and price. Tracking only the total hides all of that.
Lot-wise tracking means every arrival gets its own identity and is followed until it is fully sold or taken out.
How to number lots
Keep lot numbers short and readable. Many traders use a crop letter followed by a running number, such as W-112 for wheat or M-087 for mustard. Some add the date. Whatever you choose, use the same pattern every season so staff do not have to learn a new one.
- Write the lot number on bags or a tag at arrival
- Record crop, variety, number of bags and weight
- Record the farmer or source of the lot
- Note quality remarks such as moisture or grade
- Note which godown or chamber the lot is stored in
Follow partial sales
Lots are often sold in parts. A buyer takes 20 bags today and 10 more next week. Each sale should be recorded against the lot so the remaining quantity is always clear. When the lot is fully sold, close it. Open lots with tiny leftover quantities are a common sign that some sales were not recorded.
Watch how long lots wait
A lot that sits unsold for a long time ties up space and may lose quality. Make a habit of checking open lots every few days and sorting them by arrival date. Talk to the farmer about the rate for lots that have been waiting, and try to move older lots first.
For cold storages
Cold storages hold goods for many depositors, often for months. Each depositor's lot should be recorded with the chamber, quantity, date in and rent terms. When part of a lot is taken out, record the quantity and date. Charges can then be calculated from the actual period stored.
A clear lot register also helps when two depositors store the same crop. Without lot numbers, mix-ups at withdrawal time are hard to settle.
Do a physical check regularly
Records and godowns drift apart if no one checks. Once a week during the season, pick a few lots and count bags against the records. Investigate differences immediately. Small mismatches found early are easy to fix, while those found at the end of the season are not.
Handling shortages and weight loss
Grains and pulses can lose some weight in storage due to drying, and bags can be damaged during handling. Decide how you will record these losses and explain them to the farmer or depositor. Recording them as a clear adjustment against the lot is far better than letting the stock quietly fail to match.
Common mistakes
- Recording arrivals only as totals per crop
- Not tagging bags with the lot number
- Forgetting to post partial sales against the lot
- Leaving small leftover quantities open for months
- Not recording which chamber a cold storage lot sits in
Quality notes protect you at sale time
Moisture, grade and foreign matter decide the rate a buyer will pay. Note these against the lot at arrival, before anyone talks about price. If the buyer later complains about quality, the note shows what the lot looked like when it came in. It also helps the farmer understand why his rate differed from a neighbour's on the same day.
Close the season cleanly
At the end of the season, go through every open lot. Sell, return or carry forward each one with a clear entry. Starting the next season with old lots still marked as open makes the new records confusing from the first day.
How Krishivaan helps
Krishivaan tracks stock by lot. Each arrival is entered with crop, quantity and source, and every sale is recorded against its lot until the lot is cleared. You can see open lots and how long they have been waiting.
Sales post to the farmer and party ledgers, and the sale slip can be sent on WhatsApp. Cold storages can use the same lot tracking for each depositor. For a demo, message +91 95116 38160.
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