There are so many engineering branches available but choosing the right option is not quite an easy task. Agriculture Engineering is the best option in the context of our country, as agriculture is the largest employer by numbers in the Indian Economy. B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering is an undergraduate course in agriculture engineering.
Agriculture Engineering or AE deals with the study of agriculture process and technological practice involved in food processing. The study of agriculture engineering combines many disciplines including Animal Biology, Plant Biology, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical and Chemical Engineering, all combined with agriculture practice. B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering is a four-year program that comprises of eight semesters. The average tuition fee of this programme ranges between INR 50,000 and INR 1.5 lakh. The main purpose of this program is to create professionals to perform well in the technical aspect of agriculture.
B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering offers bright future and career options around the world. It opens an avenue for higher studies like M. Tech in Agriculture Engineering, M. Tech in Farm Machinery and Power engineering, M. Tech in crop production, M.sc in Rural Technology, and PhD in Agri-informatics and PhD in Rural Technology. B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering offers bright career prospects and well-paid opportunities in government sector as well as private sector.
After the completion of this program, a graduate can avail jobs in food processing industry, retail industry, research organisations, financial corporation, central and state government organisations, and private firms. The general objective of this course is to enable students to understand and learn the technical knowledge and skills that are important for enhancement of the agricultural sector. The course delivery methods include lectures, lab work, practical on field training, assignments, workshops, etc. B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering is followed by the research project and internship/ training. Teamwork, Lab work and Research project are constituents of the final assessment of this program.
There are almost 99 colleges, including private and public colleges, in India that offer this program. A list consisting popular colleges, which provide B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering, is as follows:
Because of the sector’s large participation in the Indian Economy, our country has many colleges that offer B. Tech in agriculture engineering. The above-mentioned list shows the most prominent colleges.
B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering course is suitable for those who have the inclination towards agriculture. Skills required for this course are mentioned below:
The minimum required qualification for this course is 10+2 with Science stream including subjects Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and English. The minimum passing mark required to pursue this course is 45% to 50%. Students waiting for the 10+2 result can also apply. The admission is based on entrance test conducted by many state and national level colleges.
Many institutes conduct entrance examination for B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering course. A few of the top entrance examinations are as follows:
ICAR: The Indian Council of Agriculture Research is an all India entrance exam for admission in B. Tech Agriculture Engineering.
OUAT CET: Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology Common Entrance Test conducts examination for admission in this course. The admission of the candidate is solely based on the entrance examination, academic career performance and extracurricular activities.
EAMCET: Engineering Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test is an entrance examination required for admission in engineering or medical colleges in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It conducts the entrance test to get admission in B. Tech Agriculture Engineering course.
There is no specialisation under B. Tech Agriculture Engineering. This four years program is an amalgamation of more than one discipline, such as Animal and Plant Science, Geology, Environmental Science, core engineering branches, Modern Agriculture Technology, etc. The course also includes aquaculture, forestry, and food processing.
This programme covers dairy engineering, soil and water conservation engineering, and designing and manufacture of machinery related to agriculture. The final semester consists of three or four subjects, which are elective. Under elective course, soil and water engineering, a student learns about reservoir and pond design, wasteland management, watershed management, etc.
Farm Machinery management, system engineering and manufacturing process of agricultural engineering are taught under Farm Machinery and Power Engineering elective course. Agriculture Process and Food Engineering elective course includes beverages technology, food packaging technology, food laws and legislation, fermented food products and entrepreneurship in the food industry.
B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduates typically work in offices but may work on the outdoor and indoor sites. Some candidates also have to work in the laboratory to test the quality of equipment. It is safe to say that graduates of this program avail a number of posts under Agriculture department of different state governments. Some of the top recruiters in this domain are Syngenta India, Mother India, Godrej Agrovet, Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company, Coromandel Seed Fertilizers, etc. Well-paid career options are available for graduates after completing this course successfully. Many sectors, mentioned below, provide job opportunities to B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduates.
B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduates can also get the job of land officer in the land office. Apart from that, other departments like Coir Board, Research Department and Food Department provide various job opportunities. A number of public organisations, including like Directorate of Oil Palm Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, United India Insurance Company Ltd, Natural Agriculture Innovative Projects, Cabinet Secretariat, Food Corporation of India, National Seeds Corporation, Indian Agricultural Research Institute and National Dairy Development Board, require agriculture-engineering graduates for various positions.
Fertilizer firms, research and development firms, food products processing and manufacturing firms are the prime recruiters in private sector. The agriculture engineering program opens the door to many well-known jobs, such as Agriculture Officer, Quality Assurance Officer, Farm Manager, Research Engineer, Process Manager and Purchase Engineer, Field Application Engineer, etc, in private organisations nationally and globally.
A B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduate may also do research work as a research scientist by joining research organisations like Indian Agriculture Research Institutes (IARI), Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), etc. Many research organisations in and outside the country offer a range of job opportunities to AE graduates.
Bank and financial organisations hire B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduates as field officers, rural development officers, agriculture and probationary officers.
Teaching is the option for those who have good academic records. B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduates can become associate/assistant professors in agriculture universities or institutes.
Agriculture Engineering graduate can provide consultancy services to agro-industries and food processing firms. An AE graduate can start a business by setting up farms, production and marketing of food grains or other activities related to farming.
An agriculture engineer can do many activities in food processing firms. Planning and construction of warehouses, green houses, cultivation of crops, and development and designing of food processing industry are the prime duties perform by agriculture engineers in food processing firms. The Green house manager’s responsibilities are to employ their knowledge in the management of greenhouses.
A B. Tech in Agriculture Engineer graduate can also avail jobs in NGOs under various types of projects and schemes. There are so many agriculture based NGOs like ASA, PRADAN, SRIJAN, ISAP, CARD, Aga Khan Foundation, GREENPEACE, Digital Green, etc, which offer job opportunities to agriculture engineering graduates.
The salary of B. Tech in Agriculture Engineering graduates depends on the company in which they are working. A fresh graduate after completion of this program can avail the salary between INR 1.5 lakhs and INR 2.5 lakh. Reputed organisations offer the salary from INR 20,000 to INR 25,000 per month to fresh graduates.