Employment Opportunities in Agriculture Sector


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nemployment is a major problem of India and presently more than 4.5 crores of
youth are unemployed in this country. Agriculture sector has the major potential
for providing the employment opportunities to this huge population of
unemployed people. In India, 70 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture
contributing about 31.8 per cent in the Gross Domestic Product of the country. About
11,900 graduates from agriculture and allied sectors pass out from agricultural universities
every year in the country. However, only 2000 are able to find employment both in the
government and private sectors. Thus a reservoir of around 9,900 graduates every year is
available for supporting the agricultural production process if viable business opportunities
are offered to them. This reservoir of agricultural graduates should take an initiative in
setting up of various smaller commercial ventures providing the required services for
quality production in agricultural and later marketing and post-harvest utilization of the
surplus produce.
The Central Government has launched various schemes to engage the unemployed
agricultural graduates in setting up of such ventures in agriculture sector which will not
only accelerate the agricultural production with the dissemination of latest technical know
how to the farmers but also provide employment opportunities to lakhs of other
unemployed youths of this country. In such ventures, agri-clinics and agri-business
centers are the most important. The agri-clinics and agribusiness centres are envisaged to
provide expert services and advice to farmers on cropping practices, technology
dissemination, crop protection from pests and diseases, market trends and prices of
various crops in the markets and also clinic services for animal health etc. which would
enhance productivity of crops and animals. Agricultural graduates may choose from a
range of high potential areas given below to set up different ventures related to agri-clinics
and agri-business centers.
Soil, water, quality and input testing laboratory service center.
Plant protection service center, which can provide services like disease and pest
diagnosis, and control services including integrated pest management.
Seed processing unit.
Micro-propagation through plant tissue culture laboratories and hardening units.
Provision of extension consultancy services.
Establishment of hatcheries and production of fish finger-lings for aquaculture.
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Provision of livestock health cover, setting up of veterinary dispensaries and services
including frozen semen banks and liquid nitrogen supply.
Post-harvest management centers for sorting, grading, standardization, storage and
packing.
Spawn production laboratories to produce seed for mushroom cultivation.
Rearing of quality breed animals for milk production and meat production.
Setting up of hatcheries of poultry birds and rearing of poultry birds for egg and meat
production.
The above mentioned schemes are open to agriculture graduates/ graduates in subjects
allied to agriculture like horticulture, animal husbandry, forestry, dairy, veterinary, poultry
farming, pisciculture, apiculture, sericulture etc. Before setting up such a center, interested
agricultural graduates will be provided a specialized training to inculcate in them required
managerial and some technical skills for setting up and running the center/ venture. This
two months training course will be provided free of cost in various State Agricultural
Universities and Departments and institutes. Initiated by Small Farmers Agri-business
Consortium (SFAC) and coordinated by National Institute of Agricultural Extension
Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, the course comprises entrepreneurship
development, business management as well as skill improvement modules in the chosen
areas of activity
However, there are some projects/ ventures in agriculture which can be taken up by any
unemployed youth with some prior training from any State Agricultural university in the
country or different institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) spread
over entire length and breadth of our country. Such ventures/ projects are listed below.
Organic farming in vegetable and fruit production: The area under organic
management in India is Estimated at 37,050 ha covered by 5247 organic farms.
Since, a price premium of about 20-30 per cent
over conventional produce is available
for organic food/ fruits/
vegetables in
markets, there is a
huge scope for
venturing in such a
project.
Cultivation of
medicinal and aromatic plants: Due to high bio-diversification, more than 15,000
medicinal plants are growing in India in which 7000 plants in Ayurveda, 700 in Unani,
600 in Siddha Medicine, 400 in Homeopathy and 30 in modern medicine are being
used commercially. About 85 per cent of world’s largest pharmaceutical companies
are located in developing countries. According to World Health Organization’s
estimates, the global market for herbal products is expected to be the $ five trillion by
2050.
Nursery production in fruits: During the period 1991-92 to 2001-02, the area under
fruit production increased by 39 per cent, thus indicating a continuous requirement for
nursery saplings.
Setting up of apiaries (bee-keeping) and honey and bee products processing
units: In India, consumption of honey is very less and we have only 6 lakh colonies of
honeybees. The demand of honey is increasing and thus there is huge scope to tap
that market.