In demand, at last

Updated on: Monday, June 15, 2009

Students have begun vying for seats in the farm varsities, as job prospects are good With jobs difficult to come by in a recession-hit industry and the threat of pink slips looming large over the employment market, the agriculture sector, which has managed to insulate itself from the financial crisis, has emerged as a sure-fire and safe career option.

A plethora of employment opportunities have opened up in this sector following an increase in the lending to the farm sector by banks and financial institutions, besides the emergence of contract farming, entry and expansion of seed, fertilizer and pesticide companies and the growth of agri-business activities.

Not surprisingly, students have already begun vying for seats in the agricultural universities of the State, which used to go abegging till as recent as last year.

At a time when the head honchos of the industry, particularly from the Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, are painting a none-too-rosy picture of employment opportunities for fresh graduates in the near future, the prospects are comparatively good for students passing out of the agricultural universities.

Shortage

The Karnataka Government did not find enough candidates to fill up the 500 posts of Horticulture Officers it had notified last year. “Against the 500-odd posts for which the State Government invited applications, only about 350 candidates were available. The requirement is higher than the number of candidates available,” said Placement Coordinator, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, A. Mohan Rao.

The State Government routinely recruits candidates passing out of agricultural universities. “In addition to recruiting Horticulture Officers, the State Government also appointed about 400 agricultural officers during 2008 and about 25 Assistant Directors of Agriculture during 2009,” he added.

Bank jobs

Banks and financial institutions, which are under pressure from the government to lend at least 18 per cent of their total amount of loans to the farm sector, are recruiting graduates from the agricultural universities at Bangalore and Dharwad as usual for posts of technical officers for assessing of loan applications and recovery process.

Public sector and private banks vie with agro-based companies to hire meritorious graduates during the recruitments held every year at UAS campuses in Bangalore and Dharwad. Out of the 150 candidates selected at Bangalore last year, as many as 100 had been picked up by banks. Though the recruitment for this year is yet to be held, two public sector banks have already informed the authorities in UAS, Bangalore, that they would together be recruiting about 50 candidates.

Salary stipulation

To ensure that the candidates received a good package from the employers, UAS, Bangalore, has stipulated that the companies give a commitment on the minimum remuneration fixed by the placement cell. “Before getting permission for recruitment, the companies have to give a commitment that the salary will not be less than Rs. 15,000 per month for graduates, Rs. 20,000 for postgraduates and Rs. 30,000 for Ph.D. holders,” Dr. Rao said.

Registrar of UAS, Dharwad, Vijaykumar, too attributed the turnaround in the job prospects for agricultural varsity students to the revival of agricultural finance post-2004 when the Central Government began laying emphasis on doubling the agricultural credit.

Typically, about 60 per cent of the estimated 1,150 graduates passing out of various streams of UAS, Bangalore and Dharwad, viz. agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, forestry, agricultural biotechnology, agricultural marketing etc., take up jobs. A good portion of the remaining graduates pursue their master’s degree or research, mostly in the same university. Several others opt for competitive examinations and go on to become KAS and IAS officers.

Quota

Dr. Vijaykumar said the State Government has reserved 50 per cent of the posts of Range Forest Officers (RFO) for graduates who secure a degree in forestry from agricultural universities. Quite a few graduates, who complete their degree in forestry, aspire to become IFS (Indian Forest Service) officers.

In addition to the varsities at Bangalore and Dharwad, the government has opened a new agricultural university at Raichur and an exclusive University of Horticultural Sciences at Bagalkot.

The newly started UAS, Raichur, has invited applications for B.Sc (Agri) and B.Sc (Ag. Engg.) at its campuses in Raichur and Bheemarayanagudi in Gulbarga district for the academic year 2009-10.

The University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot has invited applications for B.Sc (Hort) at its campuses, in Arabhavi, Belgaum district; College of Horticulture, Mudigere, Chikmagalur district; College of Horticulture, Bidar; College of Horticulture, Bagalkot; and College of Horticulture, Kolar.

The four-year degree programme offered by Universities of Agricultural Sciences and University of Horticultural Sciences are open to candidate having passed II PUC or equivalent examination.

The hindu

In demand, at last

More Education news