Does the Sri Sri University have any international collaborations or exchange programs?

Sri Sri University have several international partnerships and student exchange programs with multiple organisations from all over the world. These kinds of partnerships are meant to aim to promote joint research projects, academic and cultural exchange, faculty development, and student mobility. MoUs with universities in the country, such as the United States, France, Hungary, Nepal, and the United Kingdom, will allow their students to participate in study abroad programs, international internships, and dual-degree options. Students who benefited from these kinds of partnerships in global exposure, academic horizons and were prepared for careers in a variety of international fields.

What extracurricular or student clubs are available on Sri Sri University campus?

Sri Sri University has a wide range of extracurricular activities for students' physical and mental growth outside of the classroom. The university has various cultural clubs like Music, Dance, Theatre, Fine Arts, and Literary Club as well as professional and academic clubs like the Marketing Club, Finance Club, Agribusiness Club, and Innovation (Srinovation) Club. There is also the Arogya Yoga Club, ECO Club, Fitness & Nutrition Club, Mental Health & Wellness Club, and Photography Club, which are all interest-based/wellness clubs that the university promotes. The university also has traditional clubs (NSS, NCC) to become involved with leadership or community service projects (such as the Rotaract Club). Through participating in the university clubs and organisations, students are able to join the campus community, learn how to be leaders, and follow their interests.

How does the university leverage its connections with international studios to enhance placement opportunities for MBA students?

Sri Sri University is tapping into its international educational and business partnerships to maximise the placement for our MBA program through global exposure, cross-border projects, and overseas internships. These collaborations with universities and business schools in countries such as France, the USA and the UK create opportunities for international case studies, guest lectures, and exchange programs that meet the global business expectations. The possibilities for dual-degree programs and immersive global study options will also create pathways for students to establish a global professional network. In turn, this will enable our MBA graduates to feel better prepared with the industry relevance, skillset and understanding to effectively compete in both employee markets and global job markets.

Can BAMS and BSc students at Sri Sri University access remote internship opportunities?

BAMS and B.Sc. students at Sri Sri University are selected based on the program they are enrolled in and/or the field of study. BAMS students undertake clinical internships in-person with few, if any, exceptions owing to the experiential nature of training in Ayurveda. Sri Sri University related webinars, online research projects, and collaborative learning are offered through the university's academic and wellness networks. B.Sc. students can also participate in remote or blended internships related to industry partnerships and degree-linked apprenticeships through their area of study, particularly in applied sciences, data science, or agriculture. Aside from keeping their learning path flexible, the combinations of internship will support the students in establishing industry links, gaining work-place competencies, and developing their employability.

How does the Sri Sri University placement cell prepare students?

The Placement Cell, with a proactive and progressive approach at Sri Sri University, prepares students to successfully embark on their careers through extensive training and development activities. The Placement Cell organises several workshops, mock interviews, aptitude tests, and group discussions to upgrade technical and soft skills in students and improve core competencies for their students. The newly introduced Career Readiness Programme (CRP), focused particularly on professional courses like MBA, gives students valuable opportunities to engage in projects that reflect real-life industry capabilities, resume preparation, and corporate interactions. Furthermore, the Cell invites leading industry professionals for guest lectures and mentoring students so that students get first-hand experience of what they will face once they land a job. The Placement Cell also actively provides internships and live projects, so by the time the students are in the final placement drive, they are already somewhat prepared and have practice to build on this, plus hopefully a level of confidence that allows them to be employable.

Does the Sri Sri University offer internship support along with placements?

Sri Sri University does provide excellent support for internships in addition to their placement support to give students a practical experience that aligns with their studies and that is relevant to industry. The university's Training and Placement Cell works closely with industries to provide internship placements in many sectors, including IT, Banking and finance, Agriculture, Wellness, Management, etc. Internship placements are often embedded into the curriculum, particularly for professional courses, like MBA, B.Tech, BBA, etc. Many students can use the practical learning from their classrooms in real-world situations. It is also very common for students to be offered Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) from their internship and have job roles waiting for them when they return to campus. The internship support at Sri Sri University aims to build self-confidence, sharpen professional skills, and improve employment outcomes in the media and creative industries.

Are startup or entrepreneurship opportunities supported through placements in Sri Sri University?

Sri Sri University indeed supports startup and entrepreneurship opportunities concurrently with placements by cultivating an environment that supports innovation for students. The university promotes entrepreneurship that facilitates gaining an entrepreneurial mindset, developing clubs, mentorship, workshops, Incubation support, etc. It engages students/entrepreneurs with ideas and provides guidance for business planning, financing, market research, etc., and helps students develop ideas into real startups. Sri Sri University initiatives to promote innovation and entrepreneurship awareness and support run alongside a conventional 'placement' process (which gives students the chance to either seek a job or develop their own startup) and will encourage and support a balanced ecosystem of job seekers and job creators.

How competitive is the placement process at Sri Sri University?

The placement process at Sri Sri University is moderately competitive. That is, a good amount of opportunities along with selective recruitment practices stops it from being overly competitive. Sri Sri University offers an excellent rate of placement, particularly for professional degree options such as MBA and B.Tech. Student commitment to preparation and active training can help departments capably train students for their positions by helping the student become conscious of soft skills, industry knowledge, and by bringing about understanding of the pedagogical basis to the study. Companies and recruiters routinely undertake a multistage approach to selecting students from various academic programs, like online aptitude tests, online group discussions, or in-person interviews, enabling them to differentiate student capacity and the meanings underpinning recruitment decisions. The university's training and career awareness initiatives attend to many mechanisms to build student confidence and performance.

B.Sc. (Hons.) Agri-business: The Best Emerging Career Opportunity in India

The concept of agri-business emerged in 1847, when the term was kept in the the Canadian Almanac & Directory, later the term was coined in 1957 by John Davis and Ray Goldberg in their published book, "A Concept of Agribusiness." According to them, “Agribusiness is the sum total of all operations involved in the manufacture and distribution of farm supplies; production operations on the farm; and the storage, processing, and distribution of farm commodities and items made from them.” Agribusiness is a combination of agriculture and business management. Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agribusiness involves all the steps required to send an agricultural good to market, namely production, processing, and distribution for generating income. So, without agribusiness, agriculture is not profitable. The farmer needs to know about the effective utilisation of the farm resources in an optimum manner to get maximum monetary benefits out of it. We all know that the government has set a target for doubling the farmers' income by the year 2022, as strategized by our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji. Indian agriculture rely on subsistence farming with the predominance of small and marginal landholding farmers. It also faces various challenges like high input cost, low crop or livestock yield, high climate risk, high market and price risk, etc. To overcome these adversities, presence of efficient agri-business personnel is very important to the country. It will play a major role in providing high quality inputs, new technologies and services at right time to the farmers as well as other stakeholders along the agriculture value chain. Efficient agribusiness industries will not only facilitate in increasing income of the farmers, but also will provide job or employment opportunities to the young mass and will facilitate in increasing foreign earnings through export of quality driven agricultural outputs. Agriculture turning into entrepreneurial activities has created a high demand for skilled personnel, professional management and use of new technologies in varied areas. Industries such as fertilizer, agro-chemical, farm machinery, seed, dairy, food processing, and agri value chain financing have transformed the entire agricultural value chain by increasing the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of the entire sector. Agribusiness is an area that involves production, value addition, storage, supply chain, sales, marketing and retailing of the products used in agriculture. We can say that all the activities ranging from farm planning to bringing food at the table of the ultimate users are essential part of agri-business.

Education in Agribusiness

If we see the history, PG Programme with specialization in Agriculture was started by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in the year of 1974, then Tamil Nadu Agricultural University provided MBA in Agribusiness Marketing Management in 1981, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad started PGDM in Agribusiness Management in 1996, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar started MBA in Agribusiness Management in 1998, all State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) started the MBA degree in early 2000s, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in 2009, and so on. So, it is very clear that agribusiness is still in infant state. There is yet more to come, so as its job opportunities.

Currently, B.Sc. (Hons.) Agribusiness related course are available only in few states viz. Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra. Universities like Sri Sri University, Cuttack, Odisha, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, Karnataka, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, Karnataka, and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Punjab provide this degree. Likewise, in Maharashtra currently, there are 12 colleges affiliated under universities like Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (Dr.PDKV), Akola and Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani also provide B.Sc. (Hons.) Agribusiness degree.

If the students go for master degrees in agribusiness management, MBA in agribusiness management is the right option for them. There are a lot of colleges and universities who are providing the MBA (Agribusiness degree). Also, almost all State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) are providing the degree. Some renowned central universities like Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Central University of Punjab Bathinda, etc. also provide MBA (Agribusiness Management). Some renowned autonomous institutions also provide Post Graduate Diploma in Agribusiness Management like Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), Bengaluru, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune, and National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur.

Further if anyone wants to go beyond master degree, then he or she may go for Doctoral degree. Ph.D. in Agribusiness is also available in a few universities in India like, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Junagadh Agricultural University Junagadh, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, and Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar

There are also some foreign universities who give Ph.D. and also Post-Doctoral degrees in Agribusiness. Any ambitious student can opt for those also.

Job Opportunities

Along with competitive examinations, graduates holding agribusiness degree are eligible for positions like assistant manager, agriculture development officers, business development executives, marketing officer, agribusiness financial executive, junior data analyst, agriculture or agribusiness expert, junior research fellow, crop expert, technical advisor, field marketing officer, agri-supply chain executive, etc. From research, it was found that, the average salary after the degree starts from 3 lakhs per annum and may go beyond 5 lakhs per annum, as can be observed from Figure 1.

Figure 1: Estimated Remuneration after Graduation with Agribusiness Degree

Source: Researcher’s analysis from primary data

Post Graduates with agribusiness degree are eligible for positions like agricultural research service scientist, young professional, senior research fellow, senior data analyst/scientist, marketing research associate, management trainee, agribusiness manager, relationship manager, project manager, business development manager, territory manager, product manager / product head, sales executive officer, agri-warehousing manager, consultants, marketing development manager (with 3–5 years of experience), state coordinator, regional / area manager (with 3–5 years of experience), general manager (with 5–10 years of experience), and sales director (with 10–20 years of experience). From research, it was found that, the average remuneration for post graduate students holding agribusiness degree may start from 5 lakhs and may go beyond 10 lakhs also.

Figure 2: Estimated Remuneration after Post Graduation in Agribusiness degree

Source: Researcher’s analysis from primary data

Ph.D. holders with agribusiness degree are eligible for positions like lecturer/assistant professor, research associate, marketing research head, senior research analyst, strategic development manager, senior consultant, etc. Higher job opportunities for agribusiness students are there with agri-input based organisations as found from research, can be observed from Figure 3.

Figure 3: Suitable positions after agribusiness degree

Source: Researcher’s analysis from primary data

Some premier organisations also hire candidates with agribusiness degree like, Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), National Fertilizer Limited (NFL), National Seeds Corporation (NSC), Central Warehouse Corporation (CWC), Rashtriya Chemical and Fertilizers Limited (RCFL), Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), all state, central, and agricultural universities, all ministries related to agriculture and agribusiness like Ministry of Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Rural Development, etc. Besides these premier organisations, all leading fertiliser, pesticide and seed based organisations, agri-retail companies, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector based companies, research and development based organisations, dairy or other food processing industries, micro finance institutions, funding agencies, non-governmental organisations, private banks with agri-based divisions and other corporate sectors working with corporate social responsibilities, also prefer agribusiness candidates.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Key global indicators bear witness showing that 25 per cent of the general adult population intend to start a business within three years of entrepreneurial intent. In total, 54 percent believe they have the required skills and knowledge to start a business because of perceived capabilities. Additionally, 45 per cent consider that there should be opportunities for entrepreneurship as a career choice. Results show that entrepreneurial education programs strongly and positively affect some physiological characteristics, skills, and knowledge of participants, which are antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions. An analysis shows that the concept of entrepreneurship is more embedded in top-ranking MBAs. Another study has found that the leadership-entrepreneurial potential relationship is more influential among MBA students than other students.

So, with the degree of agribusiness and adequate knowledge, a person can think of business plan very effectively. The platform will provide enormous opportunities to build entrepreneurial skills and leadership skills. There are a lot of subsidised schemes run by the government for the agribusiness related business, explicitly for agribusiness graduates. Someone can plan for various agri-based entrepreneurship, such as, agriculture, horticulture, apiculture, aquaculture, sericulture, dairy business, poultry farming, piggery, goatery, mushroom farming, floriculture, agri-input distributor, and others.

Ready to Apply? Check: Sri Sri University Admissions

Conclusion

Agribusiness management education plays a crucial role in providing efficient human resource to the agri-based industry. Students after graduating with the agri-business degree will work as effective medium between the farmers and the industry, facilitating increased farmers’ income through adoption of new technologies, modern practices, effective market linkage and other associated services.

Author’s Details

Dr. Shubhaom Panda

Present Affiliation: Assistant Professor (Agri-Business), Faculty of Agriculture, Sri Sri University, Cuttack, Odisha

Qualifications: Ph.D. (Agri-Business), IABM, SKRAU, Bikaner; MBA (Agri-Business Management), OUAT, Bhubaneswar (Gold Medalist); MBA (Rural Management), Amity University, UP (Gold Medalist); PG Diploma (Agricultural Extension Management), MANAGE, Hyderabad

Organisations worked with: Zuari FarmHub Ltd., ADAMA India Pvt. Ltd.