India is the fourth largest producer of agrochemicals globally. The agrochemical industry worldwide has 60% herbicides , 20% insecticides and 20% fungicides. In India, earlier, farmers used to mix chemicals manually, but now with technology, the process has changed. However, even today, farmers do not take preventive measures and hence use these agrochemicals only when there is an infestation . There is lot of scope for students in the industry, as the agrochemicals sector within agriculture is growing at a rapid pace.
Industry status
This sector is growing at a rapid pace and is about Rs 10,000 crore business today. It is expected to grow to about Rs 15,000 crore by 2015. Agrochemicals are a must for progressive cultivation in India, but one has to use them safely and judiciously while understanding that there is climate change, the limited land that we have, storage and distribution challenges, etc. In the coming days, we will see a growth of job opportunities in marketing, manufacturing and research of agrochemicals.
Growth areas
There are 950 agrochemicals that are used worldwide but in India only 250 of them are used. Discovery of new agrochemicals is high on the agenda for companies. Reverse engineering in agrochemicals is being undertaken, so, students have the opportunity to make an agrochemical commercially viable. Among other growth areas — the most popular area for jobs these days is agriculture communication. As per the current trend, people understand the need of strong communication with farmers at the grassroots level in order to teach them modern farming techniques. Besides that, there are untapped markets, untapped crops and newer chemistry that needs to be developed.
Skill-sets required
Graduation in agriculture, and exposure in different parts of the country with management skills and future vision is a perfect mix for this industry. Having good communication skills is an added advantage. Students should keep an eye on advertisements that are published across print for job opportunities in both public and private sectors.
Remuneration
Graduates from a reputed college or university can expect a salary of Rs 3-5 lakh per annum. The range changes with the kind of organisations they get into and the experience they have.
- As told to Aaditi Isaac
