Introduction
Agriculture is a growth industry in India. Almost all the food needed in the country is grown on farms. There are approximately 875 million hectares of cultivable land in the country. The agriculture sector contributes around 15 percent to the country's GDP and employs about half the population in the country. India is one of the largest producers of milk, fruits, and vegetables in the world.
At present Agriculture is one of the most popular streams among the students to pursue their higher education. What does the word agriculture mean? Well most of us think that it is "taking care of the fields" or in other words, we all know it as farming. In reality, both the words agriculture and farming mean the same thing. We use the word "agriculture" when we mean the entire work that is from plowing the fields to harvesting the produce and we would use the word "farming" to mean some branches of agriculture like fish farming, chicken farming, etc. We all know that in the past the agriculture-related work was very difficult and laborious, where an entire family had to work just to grow few crops. This is where the study of agriculture comes into play, it makes the process more time-efficient, helps in getting high yield, and makes a profit by the use of machinery and other scientific tools. At present studying about agriculture is as important as studying other branches of science like medicine, engineering and so on.
Here we provide the complete detail about Agriculture Entrance Exams, agriculture courses, eligibility criteria, and other important information about admission procedures to various agriculture colleges and universities.
Why Choose Agriculture?
An overall balance of the below points makes us believe that the field of agriculture is one of the most sought-after career options among the youth in India.
Surplus! – Agri is one of the fastest-growing industries in India with huge revenue generation and a double-digit growth rate. Every state of India is known for its agricultural products such as rice, maize, wheat, milk, potato, cotton, etc. In addition to this, the government of India is providing all the support to the agriculture industry by giving support in the form of tax benefits through various schemes. In order to meet the high demand challenges, new techniques of farming have been developed and adopted by farmers. Many of the techniques such as controlled farming, precision farming, integrated farming, greenhouse farming, and vertical farming are now being used for efficient crop production. These techniques have helped to improve agricultural production and productivity and also to increase farm incomes.
Agriculture Courses
As agriculture is the backbone of our economy in India and it has now become easy to get an agriculture education in India. We have listed various agriculture courses that are studied in India.
LIST OF AGRICULTURE COURSES IN INDIA
In the table below we have listed the most popular agriculture courses offered by various colleges and universities across India.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSE | |
DIPLOMA | AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY AGRO PRODUCTS PROCESSING ANIMAL HUSBANDRY FOOD PROCESSING HORTICULTURE HYBRID SEED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY ORGANIC FARMING POST HARVEST TECHNOLOGY SEED TECHNOLOGY |
B.E/B.Tech | AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING BIOTECHNOLOGY DAIRY TECHNOLOGY FOOD TECHNOLOGY |
B.Sc | AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY SCIENCE DAIRY SCIENCE FORESTRY FISHERIES SCIENCE FOOD SCIENCE HORTICULTURE SERICULTURE |
POSTGRADUATE COURSE | |
M.Sc | AGRONOMY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION BIOTECHNOLOGY ENTOMOLOGY HORTICULTURE PLANT BREEDING AND GENETICS PLANT PATHOLOGY NEMATOLOGY SOIL SCIENCE |
M.E/M.Tech |
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY BIOTECHNOLOGY DAIRY TECHNOLOGY FOOD TECHNOLOGY SEED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY |
RESEARCH | |
PhD | AGRONOMY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY DAIRY TECHNOLOGY ENTOMOLOGY FOOD TECHNOLOGY HORTICULTURE SEED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PLANT BREEDING AND GENETICS PLANT PATHOLOGY NEMATOLOGY SOIL SCIENCE |
Note: Colleges and Universities can offer other courses than the courses listed above.
QUALIFICATION AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR AGRICULTURE COURSES IN INDIA
The table below shows the basic requirements for a candidate to be eligible for the agriculture courses offered by various colleges and universities in India in India
B.E/B.TECH B.Sc DIPLOMA MANAGEMENT | ME/M.TECH MSc PG DIPLOMA | PHD |
Students must have studied 10+2 with PCM or PCB subjects with a minimum of 45% marks(ST, SC) 50% General from a recognized school/college | Students must have completed their UG course with a minimum of 45% marks(ST, SC) 50% General from a recognized college/university | Students must have completed their UG and PG courses with a minimum of 55% marks from a recognized college/university |
Note: The eligibility requirements may vary in every institute so candidates are required to cross verify the eligibility requirement from the official sites of the respective colleges and universities before applying.
LIST OF AGRICULTURE ENTRANCE EXAMS IN INDIA
NATIONAL LEVEL AGRICULTURE ENTRANCE EXAMS
The National Level Agriculture Entrance Exams are conducted to provide admission to various Agriculture courses offered by the colleges and universities located all over the country. NTA (National Testing Agency) conducts ICAR examination to grant admission to colleges and universities affiliated with ICAR and other colleges and universities that accepts ICAR UG examination scorecard. Candidates that qualify JEE MAINS will get B.Tech in Agriculture Engineering course that is provided by some NITs.
Click on the names of the exams to see them in detail.
ICAR AIEEA UG The Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission | ICAR AIEEA PG The Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission | ICAR AICE JRF/SRF (Ph.D) The Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission |
JEE MAINS Joint Entrance Exam (Agriculture Engineering) |
STATE-LEVEL AGRICULTURE ENTRANCE EXAMS
The State Level Agriculture Entrance Exams are conducted to provide admission to various Agriculture courses offered by the colleges and universities located in that particular state. All the candidates are eligible to write the examination if they fulfill the basic eligibility requirement of the exam conducting body of that particular examination.
Click on the names of the exams to see them in detail.
Andhra Pradesh AP EAPCET AP AGRICET | Bihar BCECE | Chhattisgarh |
Gujarat GUJCET GSAUCA | Haryana CCS HUA | Himachal Pradesh CSKHPKV |
Jharkhand JCECE | Karnataka KCET | Kerala |
Madhya Pradesh MP PAT | Maharashtra MH CET MCAER CET | Mizoram |
Odisha | Punjab PAU CET | Rajasthan |
Tamil Nadu TNAU | Telangana TS EAMCET TS POLY CET | Tripura |
Uttar Pradesh UPCATET | Uttarakhand GBPUAT UUF | Jammu KashmIr SKUAST-J |
Challenges of Indian Agriculture
In an era of rapid industrialization, the agriculture and rural economy of India are considered to be the worst-performing segments. Since more youths are getting job opportunities in the IT companies in India, they prefer to migrate to cities to achieve their dream of urban living. This leads to greater dependence on the agriculture sector, for the living of the millions.
Agriculture and rural development remain neglected. And this trend is expected to continue in the coming decade. And this is likely to create a lot of job opportunities in the rural regions.
Thus, Indian agriculture and rural development still need tremendous job opportunities for the rising number of youths in the country.
The Future of Indian Farming
Many Indian farmers are opting for mechanization to reduce the physical labor involved in agriculture Integrated farming systems are flourishing with growing interest in high-quality seeds. Farm to Fork Consumption Habits, High-quality nutrients has become the need of the hour. With respect to agriculture and other allied industries, we are going to witness the emergence of the most innovative companies to take a position of leadership and rule the roost in this sector.
As mentioned earlier, the farming sector is not only a vital part of our society but it is also one of the most important in the country that contributes around 20% to India's GDP.
Career Opportunities in Agriculture
Modern Agriculture is a substantial and rapidly changing sector in the world. The agricultural sector is facing huge challenges like reducing adverse impacts of climate change, increasing labour costs, diseases, ecosystem degradation, water shortage, soil degradation, climate change, and increasing energy demands.
In order to meet these challenges, new techniques of farming have been developed and adopted by farmers. Many of the techniques such as controlled farming, precision farming, integrated farming, greenhouse farming, and vertical farming are now being used for efficient crop production. These techniques have helped to improve agricultural production and productivity and also to increase farm incomes.
Conclusion
As a kid, you see yourself as one who likes animals and spending time outdoors. It is about following a long dream and training your skill set to succeed in it. Today, agriculture jobs are in high demand and you can join this growing industry as an expert. As an Agricultural Expert, you can offer relevant services to the sector and earn a decent income. Now you just need to pursue an Agriculture course and see your dreams come true.