Scope of Agricultural Engineering, job, courses, salary

Scope of Agricultural Engineering in India

To make a career in Agricultural Engineering, one must know that, India is the land of Agriculture; most of its people rely upon agriculture for a living.
It plays an important role in the economic development of the country.Approx 62% of Indian population also depends upon its livelihood on agriculture.
Agriculture includes working in the land, harvesting the crops, nurturing and management of farming along with breeding and raising livestock.
India, due to its various types of climatic conditions gives agriculture an advantage to produce large varieties of agricultural products.
With its vast and diversified field, it has opened up many career opportunities for the country’s young generations.
Agricultural Engineering is one of the areas which focus on the design, construction and the improvement of farming equipment, techniques, and machinery. Here, the principles of engineering and biological science are also applied.

To pursue a career in Agricultural Engineering, the candidate must clear their 10+2 examination in science subjects with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
To become a qualified Agricultural Engineer, the candidate must enroll themselves in 4 years bachelor’s degree (B.E./B.Tech) in Agricultural Engineering or 2 yearsMaster’s degree (M.E/M.Tech.) in Agricultural Engineering or a Diploma in Agricultural Engineering for 2-3 years duration with a minimum of 3 to 4 years’ experience in the field of landscaping, plantation of vegetables, fruits etc.
The aspiring candidates have to give Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for the IIT's and separate state level and national level exams for other institutions.Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi conducts an All India Examination for admission to Agricultural colleges for B.Tech. courses all over the country. The candidates also have to give an All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE).
For the Master’s program, most institutes admit candidates through Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).Interested candidates with master's degree can pursue for the 3 years Ph.D. course.Post graduate degree and diploma courses in agriculture are offered by various institutes for 2 years.
In bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering, the course covers the areas of basic physical engineering, agriculture sciences, soil conservation, drainage method, irrigation practices, firm machinery, dairy engineering etc.
In post graduate level, specialization in crop process engineering, farm machinery and power, soil and water conservation, etc. are some of the course content.
There are several courses for an interested candidate who wants to pursue a career in Agricultural Engineering. They are as follows:

B.E. Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering.
B.E. Agricultural Engineering.
B.Tech. Agricultural Engineering.
B.Tech. Water Resource Engineering.
M.E. Agricultural Engineering.
M.E. Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering.
M.E. Integrated Water Resources Management.
M.E. Irrigation Management.
M.E. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering.
M.E. Water Resource Engineering.
M.E. Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering.

After studying Agricultural Engineering, one gets several employment opportunities in various fields. They are as follows:

Agricultural equipment designing
Conservation of soil and water
Crop production
Dairy Management
Bio-renewable products
Processing of agricultural products etc.

An agricultural engineer has to work on water resource management, forestry, mining and rehabilitation, urban and rural development, machine development, product planning, crop storage and processing etc.They can get employed in Government and Public sector organizations, Agribusiness firms, Food processing and retail industry, Research organizations and laboratories, Banks and Financial corporations, Sales, and Management.
Private firms and Central and State government organization employed agricultural engineers for the progress of agriculture of that district.
Farm related equipment manufacturing industry; agricultural engineers design, develop and manage different types of agricultural-related equipment.
Agriculture Economics Consultant – One may start their own Agriculture consultancy firm after having an experience of few years in Agriculture industry. One can supervise the developments of the farm and technology, by keeping details of various schemes for farmers or others engaged in the agriculture sector trade. Agribusiness Management – Here the candidate works in Sales, Management, Research or Public Relations for those that produces, buys, sells and distributes agricultural products.
Farm Supervisor - With management skills, a candidate will be responsible for the management and proper organization of farm activities ranging from harvesting & processing to marketing. It will be their responsibility for training and hiring the staff.
Entrepreneurship – Here a person can manage his own farm by running his own business. This is marketing side were buying and selling of agricultural commodities are the focus area. Here entrepreneur skills may make a person his own boss. They can also give consultancy services to agricultural workers and agro-industries.
For rural development, an agricultural engineer can work with NGO’s for their rural development program.
Some of the key recruiters for Agricultural Engineering in India are SriramFertilizer and Chemicals, New Delhi, Nestle India Ltd, Animal Breeding Centre, AMUL Dairy, PRADAN, Proagro Seed Co. Ltd., Monsanto India Ltd., Syrganta India Ltd., VNR Seeds Ltd., Raipur, SRIJAN, Sungro Seeds Ltd. Delhi

There are few skills that are required to become an Agricultural Economist. They are as follows:

•   One should have an aptitude for research and analysis.
•   The person should have good computer and statistical knowledge.
•   Ability to work as a team.
•   He must be able to think logically and can handle the work pressure calmly.
•   Positive and optimistic attitude towards work.
•   The person must have the ability to anticipate the future trends in the agricultural market.
•   For research job, the person must have a good business attitude.
•   He/she must be good in interpersonal and presentation skills.
•   The person must have good observation skills, communication skills, organizing skills, written and oral skills and problem-solving skills.
•   They should be familiar with product engineering, equipment research, and designing.

There are various Universities who are offering Agriculture distance learning courses.

Neptune Institute of Management and Technology, Delhi
Madhya Pradesh Bhoj (Open) University,
Indira Gandhi National (Open University)
University of Burdwan.
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University.
College of Agricultural Engineering.
College of Agricultural Engineering and Post Harvest Technology.
D.A.V. University.
IFTM University.
Jawaharlal Nehru KrishiVishwavidyalaya (JNKV).
Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).
Mahatma Phule Agriculture University / Vidyapeeth.
Annamalai University.
Allahabad Agricultural Institute.
Karnataka State University.

An Agricultural Engineer has a big range of career opportunities to choose from.

They design and develop new systems and products. They get employed in large corporations and make careers in water quality, food processing, environmental systems, structural design, erosion control, materials handling, agricultural power and equipment design and more.
There are scopes in designing and managing food production systems, protecting surface and ground water quality, des
- The basic eligibility criteria for a candidate who wish to pursue a career in Agricultural Engineering is that, the candidate must clear their 10+2 examination in science subjects with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
- To become a qualified Agricultural Engineer, the candidate must enroll themselves in 4 years bachelor’s degree (B.E./B.Tech) in Agricultural Engineering or 2 years Master’s degree (M.E/M.Tech.) in Agricultural Engineering or a Diploma in Agricultural Engineering for 2-3 years duration with a minimum of 3 to 4 years’ experience in the field of landscaping, plantation of vegetables, fruits etc.
- The aspiring candidates has to give a joint entrance exam (JEE) for the IIT's and separate state level and national level exams for other institutions.
- Over the past few years, agricultural engineering has contributed to the agricultural production in India.It is an appropriate career for those who have good agricultural knowledge along with engineering skills. The job responsibilities of an Agricultural Engineer include:
1. They develop new designs for equipment and machinery which are used by the food and agriculture industry.
2. An agricultural engineer coordinates their work with electronic and electrical engineers for the technology of the equipment they design and manufacture.
3. Agricultural engineer supervises the production of the equipment, machines and its parts.
4. They design the equipment is such a way so that farming becomes easier, energy efficient, and good for soil and water conservation.
5. The agricultural engineer has to work on irrigation projects, flood control and soil erosion projects too.
6. They design food processing systems that are required by food processing and packaging industries.
7. An agricultural engineer has to work on research and development as well as in sales and marketing.
- The salary structure in the agricultural sector depends on the candidate’s qualification, experience, designation, expertise in the particular field, an area of employment etc.
- In the government sector, initially one gets a salary of approx., Rs.30,000/- to Rs.45,000/- per month.
- Those who are in private organizations, MNC's and NGO's, financial sector like banks also get good pay packages.
- A lecturer of agricultural engineering gets an initial amount of approx. Rs. 35,000/- per month plus other perks.