BSc (Hons) Agri-business: The Best Emerging Career Opportunity in India

The concept of agri-business emerged in 1847, when the term was kept in the Canadian Almanac & Directory, later the term was coined in 1957 by John Davis and Ray Goldberg in their published book, "A Concept of Agribusiness." According to them, “Agribusiness is the sum total of all operations involved in the manufacture and distribution of farm supplies; production operations on the farm; and the storage, processing, and distribution of farm commodities and items made from them.” Agribusiness is a combination of agriculture and business management. Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agribusiness involves all the steps required to send an agricultural good to market, namely production, processing, and distribution for generating income. So, without agribusiness, agriculture is not profitable. The farmer needs to know about the effective utilisation of the farm resources in an optimum manner to get maximum monetary benefits out of it. We all know that the government has set a target for doubling the farmers' income by the year 2022, as strategized by our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji. Indian agriculture relies on subsistence farming with the predominance of small and marginal landholding farmers. It also faces various challenges like high input cost, low crop or livestock yield, high climate risk, high market and price risk, etc. To overcome these adversities, the presence of efficient agri-business personnel is very important to the country. It will play a major role in providing high-quality inputs, new technologies and services at the right time to the farmers as well as other stakeholders along the agriculture value chain. Efficient agribusiness industries will not only facilitate in increasing the income of the farmers but also will provide job or employment opportunities to the young mass and will facilitate in increasing foreign earnings through the export of quality-driven agricultural outputs. Agriculture turning into entrepreneurial activities has created a high demand for skilled personnel, professional management and the use of new technologies in varied areas. Industries such as fertilizer, agrochemical, farm machinery, seed, dairy, food processing, and agri value chain financing have transformed the entire agricultural value chain by increasing the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of the entire sector. Agribusiness is an area that involves production, value addition, storage, supply chain, sales, marketing and retailing of the products used in agriculture. We can say that all the activities ranging from farm planning to bringing food at the table of the ultimate users are essential parts of agri-business.

Education in Agribusiness

If we see the history, PG Programme with a specialization in Agriculture was started by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in the year of 1974, then Tamil Nadu Agricultural University provided MBA in Agribusiness Marketing Management in 1981, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad started PGDM in Agribusiness Management in 1996, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar started MBA in Agribusiness Management in 1998, all State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) started the MBA degree in early 2000s, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in 2009, and so on. So, it is very clear that agribusiness is still in an infant state. There is yet more to come, so as its job opportunities.

Currently, B.Sc. (Hons.) Agribusiness-related courses are available only in a few states viz. Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra. Universities like Sri Sri University, Cuttack, Odisha, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, Karnataka, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, Karnataka, and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Punjab provide this degree. Likewise, in Maharashtra currently, there are  12 colleges affiliated under universities like Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (Dr.PDKV), Akola and Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani also provide B.Sc. (Hons.) Agribusiness degree.

If the students go for master's degrees in agribusiness management, MBA in agribusiness management is the right option for them. There are a lot of colleges and universities who are providing an MBA (Agribusiness degree). Also, almost all State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) are providing the degree. Some renowned central universities like Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Central University of Punjab Bathinda, etc. also provide MBA (Agribusiness Management). Some renowned autonomous institutions also provide Post Graduate Diploma in Agribusiness Management like the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), Bengaluru, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune, and National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur.

Further, if anyone wants to go beyond master's degree, then he or she may go for a Doctoral degree. Ph.D. in Agribusiness is also available in a few universities in India like, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Junagadh Agricultural University Junagadh, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, and Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar

There are also some foreign universities that give Ph.D. and also Post-Doctoral degrees in Agribusiness. Any ambitious student can opt for those also.

Job Opportunities

 Along with competitive examinations, graduates holding agribusiness degree are eligible for positions like assistant manager, agriculture development officers, business development executives, marketing officer, agribusiness financial executive, junior data analyst, agriculture or agribusiness expert, junior research fellow, crop expert, technical advisor, field marketing officer, agri-supply chain executive, etc. From research, it was found that, the average salary after the degree starts from 3 lakhs per annum and may go beyond 5 lakhs per annum, as can be observed from Figure 1.

Figure 1: Estimated Remuneration after Graduation with Agribusiness Degree

Source: Researcher’s analysis from primary data

Post Graduates with agribusiness degree are eligible for positions like agricultural research service scientist, young professional, senior research fellow, senior data analyst/scientist, marketing research associate, management trainee, agribusiness manager, relationship manager, project manager, business development manager, territory manager, product manager/product head, sales executive officer, agri-warehousing manager, consultants, marketing development manager (with 3–5 years of experience), state coordinator, regional / area manager (with 3–5 years of experience), general manager (with 5–10 years of experience), and sales director (with 10–20 years of experience). From research, it was found that the average remuneration for postgraduate students holding agribusiness degrees may start from 5 lakhs and may go beyond 10 lakhs also.

Figure 2: Estimated Remuneration after Post Graduation in Agribusiness degree

Source: Researcher’s analysis from primary data

Ph.D. holders with agribusiness degrees are eligible for positions like lecturer/assistant professor, research associate, marketing research head, senior research analyst, strategic development manager, senior consultant, etc. Higher job opportunities for agribusiness students are there with agri-input-based organisations as found from research, can be observed from Figure 3.

Figure 3: Suitable positions after agribusiness degree

Source: Researcher’s analysis from primary data

Some premier organisations also hire candidates with agribusiness degree like, Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), National Fertilizer Limited (NFL), National Seeds Corporation (NSC), Central Warehouse Corporation (CWC), Rashtriya Chemical and Fertilizers Limited (RCFL), Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), all state, central, and agricultural universities, all ministries related to agriculture and agribusiness like Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Rural Development, etc. Besides these premier organisations, all leading fertiliser, pesticide and seed-based organisations, agri-retail companies, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector-based companies, research and development-based organisations, dairy or other food processing industries, microfinance institutions, funding agencies, non-governmental organisations, private banks with agri-based divisions and other corporate sectors working with corporate social responsibilities, also prefer agribusiness candidates.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Key global indicators bear witness showing that 25 per cent of the general adult population intend to start a business within three years of entrepreneurial intent. In total, 54 per cent believe they have the required skills and knowledge to start a business because of perceived capabilities. Additionally, 45 per cent consider that there should be opportunities for entrepreneurship as a career choice. Results show that entrepreneurial education programs strongly and positively affect some physiological characteristics, skills, and knowledge of participants, which are antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions. An analysis shows that the concept of entrepreneurship is more embedded in top-ranking MBAs. Another study has found that the leadership-entrepreneurial potential relationship is more influential among MBA students than other students.

So, with the degree of agribusiness and adequate knowledge, a person can think of a business plan very effectively. The platform will provide enormous opportunities to build entrepreneurial skills and leadership skills. There are a lot of subsidised schemes run by the government for agribusiness-related business, explicitly for agribusiness graduates. Someone can plan for various agri-based entrepreneurship, such as, agriculture, horticulture, apiculture, aquaculture, sericulture, dairy business, poultry farming, piggery, goatery, mushroom farming, floriculture, agri-input distribution, and others.

Conclusion

Agribusiness management education plays a crucial role in providing efficient human resources to the agri-based industry. Students after graduating with the agri-business degree will work as an effective medium between the farmers and the industry, facilitating increased farmers’ income through the adoption of new technologies, modern practices, effective market linkage and other associated services.

About the author:

Dr Shubhaom Panda, Assistant Professor (Agri-Business), Faculty of Agriculture, Sri Sri University, Cuttack, Odisha

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha