Jyoti Kachroo, Ashish K. Isher
and Naveed Hamid
Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy. Over 58 per cent of the rural households depend on agriculture as their principal means of livelihood. Agriculture, along with fisheries and forestry, is one of the largest contributors to the GDP. As per estimates by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the share of agriculture and allied sectors (including agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishery) was 16.1 per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) during 2014-15 at 2011-12 prices. The country is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices and spice products. It ranks third in farm and agriculture outputs. Agricultural export constitutes 10 per cent of the country’s exports and is the fourth-largest exported principal commodity. The agro industry in India is divided into several sub-segments such as canned, dairy, processed, frozen food to fisheries, meat, poultry, and food grains. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the development of the agriculture sector in India. It manages several other bodies, such as the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), to develop other allied agricultural sectors.
Market Size
Over the recent past, multiple factors have worked together to facilitate growth in the agriculture sector in India. These include growth in household income and consumption, expansion in the food processing sector and increase in agricultural exports. Rising private participation in Indian agriculture, growing organic farming and using information technology are some of the key trends in the agriculture industry. As per the 3rd Advance Estimates, food grain production is estimated at 251.12 million tonnes (MT) for 2014-15. With an annual output of 138 MT, India is the largest producer of milk. It also has the largest bovine population. India is the largest producer and importer of pulses at 19.0 MT and 3.4 MT, respectively. India, the second-largest producer of sugar, accounts for 14 per cent of the global output. It is the sixth-largest exporter of sugar, accounting for 2.76 per cent of the global exports.
Spice exports from India are expected to reach US$ 3 billion by 2016-17 due to creative marketing strategies, innovative packaging, strength in quality and strong distribution networks. The spices market in India is valued at Rs 40,000 crore (US$ 6.42 billion) annually, of which the branded segment accounts for 15 per cent. The procurement target for rice during marketing season (MS) 2014-15 has been finalised as 35.10 MT.
MBA (Agri-Business Management)- A Road to Success
MBA in Agribusiness Management prepare the students for careers in management related to food & agribusiness and allied sectors in an international environment. What makes this sector-specific programme special compared to many other MBA programmes is that the programme curriculum has a leading-edge managerial foundation firmly rooted in “management” culture and proficiency with a focus on food and agribusiness.
The course in agribusiness management has been designed to enable the learners to :
Understand dynamics and complexities of the field of agribusiness in the emerging global context; Acquire professional skills in using appropriate management tools and techniques in the context of agribusiness; and strive for excellence, commitment with positive attitude to work with the Rural stake holders towards their economic upliftment. Agri-business explores production, marketing and trading of products related to agriculture. The MBA programme also covers improved growing techniques, agricultural machinery, fertilizer, pesticides pre- and post- harvest handling, storage, transportation, packaging and labeling. Critical management issues as financing and technical assistance, preparation of products for exports, overseas marketing issues and government policy are also an integral part of the programme. The Master of Business Administration (Agri Business) is a two-year full time residential post-graduate degree programme which grooms young men and women into professional managers for core areas of agribusiness and allied sectors. The programme aims at providing a comprehensive coverage incorporating the foundation, functional and elective courses relevant to management discipline, in general, and agribusiness management, in particular.
Career Options
Students opting for MBA (Agri Business Management) can join in the warehousing, retail, seeds companies, processed food, fertilizers and pesticides companies, banks and insurance sectors. Those who have good potential can find excellent growth in these industries. They can join management experts in the agriculture related industries, policy makers in financial industries, teaching as well as in research fields. They can also look for a career in agriculture consultancy, journalism, agri banking, hi-tech farming and agriculture engineering sectors. So with increasing business options in this sector Agri-Business management is turning out into an attractive career for the youth. Students can join as:
* Marketing manager – Agribusiness
* Research Analayst – Agricultural commodities
* Meat marketing manager
* Flour mill manager
* Agricultural loan officer
* Grain merchandiser
After completing MBA in Agri-Business Management, students can join various Govt. as well as Multinational Companies like
* ITC
* Food Corporation Of India
* NABARD
* Coca-cola
* Dabur
* Hindustan Unilever
* Parle
* Tata Tea
* Godrej Agrover
* JAKFED
* And other departments come under Ministry of Agriculture
Career Prospects
A non-corporate sector like agriculture now is in urgent need of young & dynamic managers and entrepreneurs for improving its performance. If you have a passion for this sector and are armed with an MBA in Agribusiness Management, then the time is right for you to make it big in this industry. The agriculture scene in India is rapidly evolving and fresh agricultural graduates who have been trained in various management strategies are in great demand.
There a lot of agro-based companies which have come up in the last decade which have shifted their focus from a traditional production-oriented approach to a market-oriented one. Such companies also need qualified graduates for efficient management. There has been substantial value-addition in agri-products, standardisation of the value chain, a growing interest of the private sector in the primary sector, integration of agriculture with the input supply industry as well as with processing, distribution and marketing. In fact this area is booming and offering good opportunities for the management professionals who don’t shy away from dealing with farmers or visiting rural areas. In fact there are many more agribusiness careers than there are qualified people to fill them. All this provides ample opportunities for experts in the field. There is also an increasing demand for export and processing of agricultural products. If you have entrepreneurial inclinations, this sector provides you with ample opportunities to start with your own venture.
How to get there
In India, various reputated institutes like IIM-Ahmadabad, IABM(Bikaner), BHU(U.P) etc are offering MBA in Agri-Business Management. In Jammu & Kashmir State, there is only one Govt. Institute that offer MBA in Agri-Business Management and that is, Sher-a-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu (SKUAST-J).
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