You must be wondering why pursue a BSc agriculture course? It’s strange because being
an agricultural country with a majority of the Indian population depending on
agriculture and allied sectors, a BSc in agriculture still remains the last priority
among Indian students while choosing it as a career.
BSc agriculture in India is a broad-based course having many facets. It deals with
things like crop production, soil management, food production, dairy farming, animal
nutrition, genetics and plant breeding, agricultural economics, animal husbandry
etc. Thus pursuing a career in BSc agriculture opens up job opportunities in
multiple industries. You can work in government as well as private sectors, research
institutions, state agricultural universities, agricultural firms and financial
institutions. One more advantage of pursuing a career in the agricultural sector is
that it is a recession-proof career. Other industries may face downsizing due to the
sluggish economy but the agriculture sector can never face this problem because
“food” is the basic necessity of life.
Overview of BSc agriculture course in India
BSc agriculture is a four-year (8 semesters) degree course in India. The objective of the course
is to train students to improve agricultural productivity by implementing modern techniques and
equipment. The syllabus of the course is designed as per the guidelines of ICAR (Indian council
of agricultural research) and covers multiple topics ranging from microbiology, plant breeding
and genetics, agronomy, plant pathology, statistical method, post-harvest technology to
livestock management and agrarian economy. There can be a little variation in syllabus depending
on which college/university you are opting to study but the basic structure remains the same.
Best agricultural colleges in India
There are several prestigious colleges/universities in India that offer 4 years degree in BSc
agriculture. They are - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Acharya NG Ranga
Agricultural University (ANGRAU), GH Raisoni University, Saikheda, Punjab Agricultural
University (PAU), College of Agriculture, Nagpur, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Pune,
Rashtra Sant Tukadoji Maharaj, Nagpur University (RTMNU), Nagpur, Dr, Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi
Vidyapeeth (PDKV), Akola, just to name a few. The fee structure and the hostel charges in these
colleges vary and students can take admission based on their preferences and financial
condition.
Eligibility criteria
Any student who has completed his (10+2) studies in the science stream from a recognised board in
India with at least 50% marks is eligible for BSc agriculture admission.
BSc agriculture admission
The admission process for the BSc agriculture course varies from college to
college. Some colleges admit students on the basis of written tests and face-to-face interviews
while others give admission on the basis of their performance in the BSc agriculture entrance
exam, which is followed by a counselling session.
Some of the common entrance exams for BSc agriculture admission in India are:
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination (ICAR AIEEA). Every
year National Testing Agency(NTA) conducts this exam at national-level for admission to
various agricultural colleges in India
- AP EAPCET (EAMCET) Agriculture- It is a state-level examination overseen and managed by
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada
- JET agriculture-It is a state-level joint entrance examination conducted by Agricultural
University, Kota
- TS-EAMCET-It is an entrance exam conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Hyderabad for students of Telangana.
- OUAT- Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology conducts this examination every year
at a state-level for students of Orissa
Who should do a BSc in Agriculture?
Those students who still think that agriculture is done with the help of bullocks and ploughs
must know that these primitive practices are no longer in use and most farmers now use modern
techniques and equipment. BSc agriculture course teaches many innovative techniques of
agriculture such as tissue culture, biotechnology, microbiology, hybridization, genetics and
transplanting. It also deals with controlling diseases, improving crop yield and increasing the
nutritional value of fruit and vegetable. Thus the science of agriculture is very broad-based
and it needs a more young and inquisitive mind to develop this discipline and meet the
expectation of features.
Students who have an inclination toward an agrarian economy of the country and want to learn more
about crop cultivation must pursue a BSc agriculture degree.
Additionally, students who have a keen interest in
- Studying the nature of the soil
- Changing the traits of plants
- Developing new varieties of plants,
- Studying the heredity of plants
- Studying the causes of diseases in plants
Should opt for a BSc agriculture. This is also a good field for someone who does not want to jump
on the bandwagon of the IT industry and go for a career other than engineering and medicine.
Though the course is not very lucrative as other professional courses it will fetch you a good
return in long run.