subject: The Farm Sector Takes On A Sheen [print this page] The Information Technology sector has enjoyed and continues to enjoy an exclusive place of importance in the job market. But such exclusivity is beginning to give way to other sectors, one of which is farming. Those who qualified in farming were often considered not the most important part of the workforce. Things have changed so rapidly that today jobseekers with a degree in the agricultural sciences are much sought after. The demand for farm science graduates and postgraduates has been growing steadily in the past 3 to 4 years.
The country is certainly headed in the right direction if those who farm the land get their due through inputs of bright and talented minds trained to develop the agriculture sector. Better investment in food cultivation and research-backed development of our farms will only improve the living standards of farmers who take care of the country's food security but themselves live in poverty.
Today companies are going to agricultural science universities to conduct campus recruitment drives. This is a clear indication of the growing demand for agricultural science graduates. The University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore has, in fact, set a record for the highest number of campus recruitments. This year nearly 300 fresh graduates and postgraduates from the university got placement through campus recruitments (the figure last year was only 150). This is in addition to those who have got jobs in public sector companies, government establishments, and private firms, which did not participate in the campus recruitment.
The number of jobseekers, however, is only around 320 as 200 take up a postgraduate course and 80 of the postgraduates take up doctoral research. Of these 320 jobseekers, about 300 got placements through campus recruitments alone this year. So, the placements cover almost all fresh graduates and postgraduates from the university, that is, a vast majority of them are employed before the day of course completion.
The salaries offered to the selected candidates range from Rs. 2.8 lakh to Rs. 5.8 lakh with an average of Rs. 4 lakh a year. A majority of the placements this year have been in banks as agricultural science students study economics and accountancy as part of their courses. Also, in the country's Five-Year Plan the thrust is on the development of the agricultural sector. This has resulted in the formulation of more agricultural schemes involving lending by banks. Banks find agricultural science candidates useful in executing this task, especially taking technology from the lab to farmers' lands, which is part of agricultural development schemes.
There are other areas where there is huge demand for agricultural science candidates. Agri-input companies such as those dealing with seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides constantly need agricultural graduates. While the undergraduates are mostly preferred for product promotion jobs by these companies, the postgraduates are absorbed in research and development works. Those with PhD get high-profile jobs.
