Page 13 - Mousumi: Unbelievable Transformation

Agriculture

Agriculture and agro-based activities are the main occupation of most of
the Indian people. It has immense potential in rural as well as urban areas.
Agriculture gives food which is the basic necessity of life. Without food, it is
impossible to survive. Human beings need doctor, engineer, accountant,
mechanic, mason etc. occasionally but need an agriculturist daily as he produces
food which is required on a day-to-day basis. Our first Prime Minister Pandit
Jawahar Lal Nehru rightly said that “Everything can wait but not agriculture.” This
statement highlights the importance of agriculture in our life. Approximately
12% of Indian GDP is contributed by agriculture and its allied sectors. Over
65% population of India is involved in agriculture directly or indirectly.
Agriculture is the largest sector in India which gives bread and butter to the
people.

M.S. Swaminthan (left) and Norman Borlaug

An agriculture course consists of specialized subjects like agronomy,
horticulture, plant breeding and genetics, entomology, plant pathology, animal
science, agriculture extension education, plant biochemistry, agriculture
economics, biotechnology, food science, floriculture, landscaping, fruit science,
soil science and agriculture engineering. After getting higher degrees like M.Sc.
and PhD in the subjects as mentioned above, the scope of career opportunities
tends to increase. The M.Sc. and PhD degree can be pursued from India and
abroad. In countries like US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, and
England, high-quality research is being conducted in the agriculture and allied
subjects for the improvement of agricultural technologies. Marketing of
agricultural produce is another aspect of the modern world. Therefore, a higher
degree in Agri-Business Management from reputed institutes offer scope to the

♦♦Career Mantra♦♦ Page 12