Tamil Nadu: Record no. of candidates apply for agriculture courses

CHENNAI: A record number of candidates have applied for undergraduate agriculture and related courses in Tamil Nadu this year. More than 52,000 candidates have applied for 3,100 seats available in colleges functioning under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU).
These seats would be filled through counselling scheduled to begin next month. The merit list, based on which admissions would take place, will be released on June 27.Ten years ago, these courses didn't even receive one-tenth of the current number.
TNAU officials said the demand for agri-related courses started to increase as the glamour of engineering courses faded over time. Also, there are rising job opportunities in these fields, they said.
According to official data, over 60% of agriculture students land jobs. This includes nearly 1,000 students who get appointed as agriculture officers in various state government departments.
There will be vacancies in another 2,500 agriculture and horticulture officer posts in state government departments and central government managed boards, said S Mahimairaja, dean (agriculture) of TNAU.
Those who don't get government jobs, work in banks, which need agriculture graduates to sanction agri-related loans, or sit for competitive exams organised by Tamil Nadu and Union Public Service Commission (TNPSC/UPSC), he said, adding, the syllabus helps agriculture students to clear these exams with ease compared to those from other streams. Our syllabus contains 27 different subjects, including biology, maths, economics, law and sociology, and covers all important topics asked in these exams, he said. Top civil servants like director general of police, C Sylendra Babu, deputy inspector general, V Balakrishnan, and TNPSC chairman, K Arulmozhi, stand testimony to this argument, he added.
The Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, alone has produced 185 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in the last two years. Besides this, others have gone ahead to pursue postgraduate courses and research. There are plenty of offers made by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), other government agencies and private fertilizer and seed companies, say TNAU's record. These research candidates receive fellowship offers too. On an average, they earn at least 30,000 a month.
"Further, some have emerged as entrepreneurs. By setting up a nursery, they earn in lakhs every year. For example, one of our students, Bharathi, has so far made over 150 crore by setting up a tissue culture lab at Hosur. So opportunities are aplenty and growth is for sure," Mahimairaja told TOI.