Agriculture Management
Agribusiness is an area of commerce and management that involves processing, warehousing, distribution, marketing and retailing of the products used in agriculture. It includes the management of agrichemicals, breeding, farm planning and farming, weather forecasting, soil management, farm machinery, harvesting, processing, marketing and supply chain operations, financing, food processing, etc. All the activities ranging from farm planning to bringing the food to the table are a part of Agribusiness.
A course in agriculture and food business promises a good career scope for students as agriculture plays a vital role in Indian economy. A course in agriculture and food business prepares candidates for a wide variety of careers in food and fibre industry, agriculture business organisations, banks, research centres, retail food companies, etc.
Courses
MBA Agri Management is a postgraduate program with 2 years duration.
The course includes the subjects such as Agricultural & Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Marketing of Agricultural Inputs, Strategic Food Marketing, Management for Agribusiness Projects, Market Research and Information Systems, International Agri-Food Trade, Value Chain Management – Applications in Agribusiness, Understanding Creativity, Innovation, Knowledge, Networks And Entrepreneurship, Food and Agri-business International Strategies and Organizations, Micro Finance Management, Food Supply Chain Management, Analyzing and Building Competencies, Carbon Finance, Public Policy, Social Entrepreneurship: Innovating Social Change, Sales and Distribution Management For Agriculture, Agribusiness Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness Leadership, Agricultural Futures and Option Markets, Agricultural Markets and Pricing, Economics of Food Quality, Applied Agricultural Trade and Policy Analysis, Managing Sustainability, Managing Energy Businesses etc
Required Skills and Aptitude
The skills and aptitudes required for a career in Agri Management field include the following:
- Analytical thinking
- Awareness about the latest developments in the agriculture and food business industry
- Commercial awareness.
- Communication and motivation.
- Goal-oriented
- Interest in Agriculture
- Leadership
- Negotiation skills
- Organisation and delegation
- Problem-solving
- Research oriented
- Strong mathematical skills
Eligibility Criteria
Admissions to various agriculture and food business courses are done mainly on the basis of entrance exams. However, some universities/ colleges also provide direct admission to candidates on the basis of qualifying examination. The basic eligibility criteria for MBA Agri-business is graduation in any discipline with a minimum of 50% aggregate in graduation. A valid scorecard from CAT/MAT and other exams will be a prerequisite for that. Eligibility criteria varies from universities to universities.
Entrance Examination
MBA in Agri Management Admissions in India are mainly conducted through top entrance exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, KMAT and NMAT. Some colleges also consider the score of state level exams and private exams conducted by universities.
While scoring good marks in CAT will help you to get admission in IIMs, MAT is your ticket to colleges like Institute of Agri Business Management, Bikaner and KIIT School of Rural Management, Bhubaneswar. Rest of the colleges accept XAT, CMAT, KMAT, ATMA, MAH CET, SNAP, MHT CET, NMAT, ICAR AIEEA, score, etc. for admission into their colleges.
Job Profiles
Some of the job profiles in the field of Agri Management are as follows:
- Agriculture Loan Officer (in Banks)
- Agriculture Officer
- Agriculture Policy Analyst
- Commodity Merchandiser
- Farm Appraiser
- Human Resources Specialist
- Market Analyst
- Marketing Assistant
- Marketing Head
- Operation Manager
- Quality Controller
- Relationship Manager
- Sales Representative
- Sourcing Specialist
- Supply Chain Manager
Top Recruiters
Major industries in which career opportunities exist for the MBA graduates in Agri Business Management are Agri Input Industry; Seeds; Fertiliser; Agrochemicals; Farm Machinery and Equipments; Cattle Feed; Poultry Feed; Aqua Feed; Food Processing Industry; Dairy Processing; Fruit and Vegetable processing; Chicken & Meat Processing; Retail Industry; Financial Services; Private Sector Banks; Public Sector Banks; Small Finance Banks; NBFCs working in Agri and Rural Sector; Micro Finance; Agri Commodity Trading Sector; Agri Warehousing Sector; Development Sector; Cooperatives and FPOs; Agri Export Houses; E Commerce; Teaching & Research etc.
Followings are some of the top recruiters for MBA Agri Management holders:
- Adani group
- Aditya Birla Group
- AMUL
- Apparel Group
- Big Basket
- Bosch
- Britannia
- Cms
- Coramandal
- Dabur India
- DOW Chemicals
- Ernst & Young (MENA)
- Escort
- FIITJEE
- FSS
- HDFC Bank
- ICICI
- Indian Oil Corporation
- JCB India
- Jeevika
- Jeevika
- KOIS Invest
- com
- Mahyco
- Meghmani
- Optum and Udaan
- Sulphur Mills
- Tata Chemicals Ltd
- TCS
- Thomson Mahindra Bank
Institutions
Followings are some Premier Institutes in India for Agri Management based on NIRF Rankings 2020 (Management):
Questions & Answers
Q) What is an Agriculture management programme?
A) Agriculture Management is the management programme of Agriculture and allied activities. It has a different set of rules in regard to Agri Marketing, Agri Financing, Agri Production than the other regular MBA programmes.
Q) What is Scope of agriculture management in India?
A) India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, food and fishing are the mainstay of the Indian economy. Agriculture has long been seen as a sector with tremendous potential in India. In the last few years, the sector has seen an unprecedented gain with several government and private sector initiatives. This, coupled with changing global norms such as the WTO rulings and increased global competitiveness, invites a tremendous need for professional courses in Agribusiness Management, and makes it one of the most challenging and exciting sectors to be in, either as a professional or as an entrepreneur.
Q) What is the scope of Agribusiness management ?
A) The demand for managerial skills continues to be on the rise in the Agriculture sector. National and Multi Nationals are realizing the importance of the Agribusiness market. A consistent increase in salaries in Placement offers from reputed recruiters to graduates with MBA in Agri Business.
There are several Agri start-ups which are exploring huge opportunities for agri-business graduates. With the increasing level of farmers’ awareness and professionalism in farming, the Agri and rural sector has compelled agri-input companies providing seed, fertiliser, pesticides, credit as well as insurance firms, to engage trained professionals to serve the market creatively and remain competitive.