If you are aspiring to become an agricultural officer, you will need to have completed your secondary schooling with a prime focus on physics, chemistry and biology subjects to be able to apply for a Graduation course in Agricultural Science.
In case you have not completed your secondary schooling with physics, chemistry and biology, you may pursue a Diploma course in Agricultural Science to be able to apply for a Graduation course in the same field.
So in order to be able to apply for an Agricultural Officer Position, graduation in one of the specializations under Agricultural Science becomes necessary.
Who is an Agricultural Officer?
An Agricultural officer is the one who helps farmers grow better crops to produce better yields and to successfully market their produce.
An Agricultural Officer helps the farmers by counseling them about a planned cropping pattern that is well known under the system of planting, about processing of the crops, marketing and about having a good administration during farming activities.
Agricultural Officers also help in auditing, investigating and testing of agricultural goods to ensure that all the agricultural practices and goods produced comply with the agricultural protocols of the state.
What are his/her responsibilities?
The main roles of an Agricultural Officer include :
- Ensuring proper distribution of agricultural inputs such as plant seeds, planting materials, bio-fertilizers and fertilizers, pesticides etc.
- Training farmers in using the latest farming and production technologies.
- Promoting the importance of natural resource management.
- Collecting samples from animals, plants, soil, farm products etc.
- Handing-over the collected samples to renowned laboratories to get them tested.
- Studying the observations received from the laboratories.
- Advising the farmers on the new techniques of farming/planting based on the studies and observations.
- Ensuring animals are in their perfect health and shape.
- Ensuring the farming practices used are productive and meet the standards of the state in Agricultural Science.
- Analyzing and ensuring that a farm is being productive even in terms of its financial performance etc.
- Implementing and supervising certain developmental programs such as:
- Multiple Cropping Schemes.
- Oil Seed Production Programs
- Organic Manure Development Programs etc
- Visiting Farmer’s field often and providing consultation and counselling to farmers.
How to Become an Agricultural Officer after 12th?
Firstly, you will need to complete your 10+2 with primary focus on physics, chemistry and biology subjects.
Then you may apply for a Graduation course in any of the following specializations offered under Agricultural Science namely:
- Agriculture
- Horticulture
- Plant Science
- Soil Science
- Dairy Science
- Agriculture Engineering
- Fishery Science
- Agriculture Business Management
- Food Technology
- Sericulture
- Animal Husbandry
- Forestry
- Biology etc
Soon after completing your Graduation in one of the above specializations, you may directly apply for entry level roles to gain some expertise in the field of Agricultural Science or you may opt for a Certification program in Agricultural Science or you may also work on qualifying some of the entrance exams conducted by different institutions in India such as NABARD, FCI, SSC, ICAR etc which adds more weight age to your profile while applying for the role of an Agricultural Officer.
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Eligibility
We have enlisted the eligibility criteria for an aspiring candidate who is interested in the role of an Agricultural officer in India :
- The candidate should be between 18 and 40 years of age.
- He/she must have completed 10+2 with physics, chemistry and biology subjects or equivalent relevant to the field of Agricultural Science.
- He/she must have completed Graduation in any of the above mentioned subjects or any equivalent subject under Agricultural Science.
- He/she must have a qualifying score from the entrance exams conducted every year(for better opportunities) such as:
Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination(ICAR AIEEA):
If you are interested in pursuing further studies in Agricultural science there are entrance exams offered by ICAR at different stages from UG to Doctoral programs namely :
Qualifying this exam gives a better chance to win a seat at any of the courses you are aspiring to pursue.
National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
Once you qualify this exam conducted by NABARD, you will be hired by them as an Assistant Manager in Rural Development Banking service(RDBS) to fill various vacant positions in the following departments :
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry
- Agriculture Engineering
- Fisheries
- Forestry
- Horticulture/Plantation
- Water Resources
- Soil Science/Land Development
- Finance
- Computer/Information Technology
Food Corporation of India (FCI):
After qualifying the online test conducted by FCI, you may be hired as an Assistant General Manager in various technical departments of Agriculture across the organization.
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Staff Selection Commission(SSC):
After qualifying the exam, you will be able to start working in the Government Departments or under certain Ministries in the Agricultural Departments as scientific assistants, foreman etc.
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Specialist Officer Exam (IBPS SO):
IBPS SO exam is conducted once a year to filter the cream layer of Agricultural Officers and hire them in various PSU(Public Sector Units) banks across India.
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Qualifications needed
- In order to become an Agricultural Officer, one needs to have completed the 4-year Graduation program in any of the above mentioned subjects such as agriculture, horticulture, fishery science, animal husbandry, veterinary science, soil science, plant science etc or any equivalent subject under Agriculture with 50% marks.
- He/she will need to qualify one of the entrance exams such as ICAR AIEEA, NABARD, IBPS SO, SSC, FCI etc based on their interests and career options for better opportunities and additional skills to become an Agricultural Officer.
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Courses for Agricultural Officer
There are many Agricultural courses offered in India starting from Diploma, Certificate programs to UG, PG and Doctoral levels. Let us discuss a few of them now.
Diploma Courses:
- Diploma in Agriculture
- Diploma in Agro Products Processing
- Diploma in Food Processing
- Diploma in Horticulture
- Diploma in Seed Technology
- Diploma in Organic Farming
- Diploma in Post Harvest Processing and more.
There are several Certificate Programs offered and we have enlisted a few of them here :
- Organic Farming
- Waste Recycling and Vermicomposting
- Modern Irrigation System
- Nursery Techniques and Propagation of Horticultural Plants
- Coconut Cultivation Technology
- Sericulture
- Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables
- Sugarcane Production Technology
- Bee Keeping
- Flower Cultivation
- Weed Management and many more.
There are many Graduation Courses such as BA, BSc, BE, BTech, BVoc offered in India in various fields of Agriculture such as:
- Agricultural Statistics
- Agricultural Engineering
- Livestock Production
- Dairy Engineering
- Fisheries Science
- Agronomy
- Plant Pathology
- Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
- Agronomy
- Plant Physiology and many more.
We have listed some of the Post-Graduate(M.Sc) Specializations offered in the field of Agriculture :
- Agriculture
- Agricultural Biotechnology
- Forestry
- Plant Pathology
- Forestry
- Fishery Science
- Dairy Science
- Horticulture etc
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Best Universities for Agricultural courses
We have listed some of the top universities ranked by ICAR(Indian Council for Agricultural Research) offering Agricultural courses in India. Make sure to note them before you apply for agricultural courses of your interest.
- ICAR – National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.
- ICAR – National Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
- ICAR – Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar
- G.B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar
- Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
- University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
- ICAR – Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai
- Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
- Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Haryana
- Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar
- Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur
- Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai
- Central Agricultural University, Imphal
Salary for Agricultural Officer
The average salary of an Agriculture Officer in India ranges between 40,000 INR per month to 1,20,000 INR per month depending on the organization or department he/she is working in. It also depends on the expertise of the individual in the field of Agriculture Science.
Conclusion
As we have discussed so far, a career as an Agriculture Officer is apparently exciting and promising. The career offers a great salary package and several benefits as well. There are many openings and vacancies for Agricultural Officer positions in various Government sectors.
So, for many who are dreaming of getting into a government job with a good salary package, this appears to be one of the best careers for the students interested in Agricultural Science. So, make a good choice!
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