trade-export

Indian Groundnuts: Grades, Counts and Aflatoxin Compliance

What a snack manufacturer, crusher or importer should settle before a groundnut contract — variety and count, the moisture and sorting parameters that determine arrival condition, and the aflatoxin protocol that decides whether the cargo clears at all.

September 7, 2026

12 min read

RNG Trade Intelligence

Market Research Desk · Rajkot

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Groundnut Kernels

Origin: the Saurashtra belt

Gujarat is India’s principal groundnut state and Saurashtra is its centre — Junagadh, Rajkot, Gondal, Amreli, Jamnagar and Porbandar. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka contribute the balance. RNG Agro Exports is based in Rajkot, inside the belt itself, which shortens the distance between the mandi and the shipping container and means grade selection happens where the crop actually arrives rather than through a second layer of traders.

India is the world’s second-largest groundnut producer and among the largest exporters. APEDA records Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and the Philippines as India’s leading groundnut destinations in 2025-26, which is why the trade lanes into Southeast Asian snack and food manufacturing are well established and well served.

Two crops matter for scheduling. The kharif crop is sown with the monsoon around June and July, harvested in October and November, with arrivals concentrating from November into January — this is the larger crop and the best window for annual contracting. A summer crop follows, sown around February and harvested in May and June. Buyers needing year-round continuity should plan across both rather than assuming a single harvest.

Varieties and forms

Bold / Runner

The larger, rounder kernel. Typically supplied at counts of 38/42, 40/50 and 50/60. Used for roasting and salting, in-shell snack packs, confectionery and premium retail. The count is what buyers pay for here, and consistency of count within a lot matters as much as the count itself.

Java / Spanish (TJ)

Smaller, more elongated kernel with higher oil content. Typically 50/60 through 80/90. Favoured for oil crushing, peanut butter, and coated and fried snack lines where a smaller uniform kernel performs better.

Red Skin Natal

Red-skinned type supplied where skin colour is part of the finished product presentation.

Blanched kernels

Skin removed by dry or water blanching, then sorted. Specified for peanut butter, bakery and confectionery. Blanching adds a processing step and a cost, and it also changes the aflatoxin picture, since the skin carries part of the contamination profile — the post-blanching result is the one that belongs on the certificate.

Split kernels and groundnut in shell

Splits for crushing and industrial use. In-shell for roasting and retail snack markets, graded on pod size and fill.

Counts per ounce: the field most enquiries leave out

Counts per ounce, or CPO, is the number of kernels in one ounce. A lower count means a larger kernel. It is the single most important commercial descriptor in the peanut trade after variety, and an enquiry that specifies neither count nor moisture cannot be priced accurately by anyone.

Reference specifications

Moisture is the parameter that quietly ruins peanut shipments. At 8 percent a kernel is stable; above that, and in a hot humid transit, mould growth and aflatoxin development can begin inside the container. Specify moisture at loading, insist on proper container preparation, and for long humid routes consider a lower ceiling than the standard 8 percent.

Aflatoxin: the decision that governs the whole contract

This section should be read before price is discussed. Aflatoxin is the reason groundnut shipments are rejected, and it is where an experienced supplier separates from an inexperienced one.

The limits differ by market and by intended use

In the European Union, maximum levels for aflatoxins in groundnuts are set under Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915. Critically, the limit depends on whether the consignment will be sorted or physically treated before human consumption or is going directly to the consumer — groundnuts destined for direct consumption carry a substantially tighter limit than those to be sorted first. Declare the intended use correctly in the contract, because the wrong declaration invalidates the compliance position regardless of the laboratory result.

Groundnuts from India are also listed for increased official controls at the EU border under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, which requires an official certificate accompanied by sampling and analysis results. The check frequency is amended periodically, so confirm the current position before contracting rather than relying on a figure quoted in a supplier’s brochure.

Other markets set their own limits. Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Thailand and the Gulf states each apply national maximum levels, and several of them differ from the EU. Establish your own national limit in writing before you specify.

The sampling plan matters more than the analysis

This is the technical point most exporter pages never make, and it is the one that will save a buyer money.

Aflatoxin does not distribute evenly through a peanut lot. Contamination concentrates in a very small fraction of kernels, which means a single small sample drawn from one point in a container is close to meaningless. It can miss contamination that is present, or strike a hot spot and condemn a lot that is otherwise sound. This is precisely why regulators prescribe aggregate samples assembled from a large number of incremental samples taken across the whole lot, and why the EU has a dedicated sampling regulation for mycotoxins rather than leaving the method to the laboratory.

Name the sampling protocol in the contract. Specify how many incremental samples, from where in the lot, how the aggregate sample is reduced, and which accredited laboratory performs the analysis. A supplier who agrees to this immediately is a supplier who has shipped compliant cargo. A supplier who resists it is telling you something.

What to require in practice

• Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin results against your destination’s limit, with the analytical method and limit of quantification stated
• The sampling plan actually used, described on the report
• Testing after sorting and, for blanched material, after blanching
• Pre-shipment results and, where your market requires it, a destination-side check with agreed tolerance

Allergen handling

Peanut is a declared major allergen in essentially every regulated market. That has two consequences for a buyer. Your own labelling and cross-contact controls are governed by your national rules, and your supplier’s segregation practices become part of your food safety file. Ask how the supplier separates peanut lines from other commodities in the same facility, and request the allergen management statement alongside the certificate of analysis.

Documentation

• Certificate of analysis from an accredited laboratory such as SGS or Intertek covering moisture, count, admixture, damaged and split kernels
• Aflatoxin report stating B1 and total, the method, the limit of quantification and the sampling plan used
• Microbiological report covering Salmonella, and E. coli, yeast and mould where specified
• Pesticide residue report against the destination’s limits
• Phytosanitary certificate
• Fumigation certificate where required by the destination
• Certificate of origin, and preferential origin documentation where a trade agreement applies
• Allergen management and GMO statements
• Destination-specific official or health certificate, such as the EU certificate described above
• Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading, declaring HS 1202.42 for shelled kernels or 1202.41 for in-shell

Packing and container loading

Ports and transit

Mundra, Kandla and Pipavav in Gujarat sit closest to the Saurashtra belt and handle the majority of groundnut volume. Chennai and Tuticorin serve southern origin and some Southeast Asian lanes. Indicative transit times from Mundra, subject to service and transhipment:

Plan bookings around the November to January arrival peak, when Gujarat port and processing capacity is under the heaviest load of the year.

How to qualify an Indian groundnut supplier

1. Verify the Importer Exporter Code issued by DGFT and the APEDA registration-cum-membership certificate.
2. Confirm the food-safety certification is current by checking the certificate number in the certification body’s register.
3. Establish whether the counterparty shells, sorts and processes or only trades. Groundnut requires shelling, grading, sortex and often blanching capacity — ask which steps happen in-house.
4. Ask which destination markets the supplier has shipped groundnut to in the last twelve months and request the corresponding aflatoxin certificate and official certificate format.
5. Agree the sampling protocol in writing before the first order.
6. Request a pre-shipment sample against your own grade sheet and test count, moisture and aflatoxin independently.
7. Start with a trial container and confirm count consistency and arrival moisture before committing to a term contract.

Frequently asked questions

What does counts per ounce mean?

The number of kernels in one ounce. A lower number means a larger kernel, so 38/42 is bigger than 80/90. It should appear in every contract alongside variety and moisture.

What is the difference between Bold and Java?

Bold, or Runner, is larger and rounder, usually 38/42 to 50/60, used for roasting, snacking and confectionery. Java, or Spanish, is smaller and more elongated with higher oil content, usually 50/60 to 80/90, used for crushing, peanut butter and coated snacks.

Why does the sampling plan matter so much for aflatoxin?

Contamination concentrates in a very small fraction of kernels, so a single small sample is statistically unreliable. Aggregate samples built from many incremental samples across the lot are what regulators require and what buyers should specify.

How much loads into a container?

Around 19 MT of bagged kernels in a 20-foot container and 26 to 27 MT in a 40-foot, depending on bag size and stow.

Can you supply blanched kernels and splits?

Yes. Specify count, blanching method and the post-blanching aflatoxin limit you require.

What is the HS code?

1202.42 for shelled kernels, 1202.41 for in-shell, 1202.30 for seed quality. Confirm the eight-digit national code with your customs broker.

What is the minimum order quantity?

Trial orders from 1 MT for new buyers, then full container loads from Mundra, Kandla or Pipavav.

Request a specification-matched offer

Send variety, count, moisture ceiling, your destination’s aflatoxin limit and intended use, with volume, port and incoterm. We return an FOB or CIF offer, a sample dispatch plan, the sampling protocol we propose and a certificate of analysis template within 24 working hours.

https://rngagroexports.com/request-quote/