In this guide 6 sections
Kernel outturn ratio, or KOR, is the weight of good kernel a bag of raw cashew nuts yields after shelling. It decides the margin because you pay for nuts and sell kernels. Record it against each purchase lot and supplier, so buying rates can be compared with real yield.
What KOR measures
Raw nuts are bought by weight, but the sale is of white kernels. The kernel is only a part of the nut. The shell, the skin and the moisture make up the rest.
KOR states how much saleable kernel comes out of a standard bag of nuts. A higher figure means more kernel for the same purchase cost.
Two lots at the same price can give very different margins. The only way to know is to measure each one.
Why one average hides the problem
Many units keep a single KOR for the season. It feels tidy. It also blends good lots with poor ones, and the poor suppliers go unnoticed.
Nuts vary by origin, rainfall, harvest time and storage. A lot that sat damp in a godown gives lower kernel and more spoiled nuts. A fresh dry lot behaves differently.
Season averages tell you what happened. Lot records tell you who to buy from next week.
- Origin and supplier of the lot
- Harvest period, if known
- Moisture on arrival
- Storage time before roasting
Capture quality at the gate, before the nuts are mixed
Give every lot a number when the truck arrives. Take a cutting test sample and note the count of nuts per kilogram, the share of spoiled or immature nuts and the moisture.
Write down the buying rate and the weight on the weighbridge slip. Link both to the lot number. If lots are mixed in the silo before this step, the trail ends there.
Keep the sample result with the supplier’s name. Over a season it becomes a score for each supplier.
- Lot number and date
- Supplier and weighbridge slip
- Cutting test result
- Nut count per kilogram
- Rate paid
Follow the lot through shelling and grading
Record the weight of nuts sent to the roaster, the kernel produced by the sheller and the graded output by grade, such as whole, splits and pieces. Note the borma or peeling loss.
Graders produce different yields from the same kernel. Record the grader or the shift too. A drop on one shift tells you something other than a bad lot.
Compute KOR when the lot is closed, not each day. A half-finished lot gives a false picture.
Compare rate against yield, lot by lot
Put the buying rate beside the KOR for each supplier. A cheaper lot with poor KOR may cost more per kilogram of kernel than a dearer one.
Review the list every month. Drop or renegotiate with suppliers whose lots keep falling short.
Start with next week’s arrivals. Number every lot and record the five fields above, and the pattern will show within a season.
Cashew lot record sheet
A single sheet holding a row for every purchase lot. Columns cover lot number, date, supplier, weighbridge weight, rate paid, moisture, cutting test result, nut count, kernel produced by grade, peeling loss and the final KOR. A summary block ranks suppliers by KOR against the rate paid.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Is KOR measured in the field or after processing?
Both. A cutting test at the gate gives an early estimate. The true figure comes after shelling and peeling, when the lot is closed.
Why does the same supplier give different KOR?
Weather, harvest date and storage change from lot to lot. That is why the record is kept by lot and not by supplier alone.
Do I need software to track KOR?
A sheet is enough to begin. Software helps when lots, graders and shifts multiply and you want supplier rankings without retyping.
Should small units record moisture?
Yes. A simple moisture meter reading at the gate explains many yield gaps and costs little to note.