How to get into Agriculture

After finishing school with science stream you have to give the entrance exam for admission to a Bachelor's course in agricultural sciences held by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Payoff

Though there is a lot of money in research and in the corporate segment related to agriculture sciences, those involved in mainstream agriculture still find it tough to make it big, but slowly and gradually he/she will be able to earn Rs 6 lakh - Rs 7 lakh per annum.

Skills

• Inclination towards farming and related areas if you want to indulge in grass root level work
• Penchant for research if you want to take up agri-research in the future
• There are several entrepreneurial opportunities. For those, one must have business acumen.

Important Facts

• There are numerous avenues in farming, fisheries, poultry, veterinary sciences, research, water science, seed technology, plant pathology, entomology and nematology and many others. One gets a wide variety of options after graduation to choose from.
• The government doles out sops to encourage agricultural education. Even M.Sc students are given a decent stipend unlike in other PG programmes. 
• Salaries of agri-researchers in government institutes are quite impressive and a big draw for researchers. 
• The industry essentially depends on rural farmers who are still semi-literate or illiterate irrespective of 42 state agri universities, which churn out thousands of professionals every year. The industry, as a result, is not thriving as it could.