From farms to plates: MBA agribusiness graduates are in demand and jobs will grow

NEW DELHI: Nikesh Rathi and Saumya Mishra, enrolled in Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Agribusiness Management) or PGDM-ABM programmes at two different Hyderabad institutions, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) and National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), respectively. Both are gearing up to transform the way agribusiness is conducted in India.

Having nurtured an interest in agriculture since their undergraduate studies, they are now aiming for administrative careers in agricultural companies.

“I was advised by seniors at SDAU that MBA Agribusiness is a solid path for those not inclined toward research,” said Mishra, a BSc Agriculture graduate from Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDAU), Gujarat, and now in second year of the management programme at NAARM.

Rathi's journey is rooted in family business. His father runs an agri-input shop in Maharashtra’s Amravati, providing seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to local farmers. Inspired by agricultural officers he encountered as a student of agricultural engineering at Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, he chose to pursue agribusiness to manage large agricultural companies.

“I have been at MANAGE Hyderabad for three months, and the learning is invaluable,” he said.

MBA Agribusiness: Demand for managers

As agriculture and allied sectors in India expand, professionals trained in agribusiness management are in high demand. Both MANAGE and NAARM boast of 100% placements for their 2022-24 batch.

According to university professors and senior officials, there is a huge demand for agricultural managers as the sector expands. MBA agriculture graduates are preferred in jobs related to fertilisers, pesticides and food processing, among others.

“India is a rural agrarian country and agriculture and farming are being slowly organised through policy interventions by the government. This will enable more jobs in this sector. An MBA agribusiness course equips students with the skills to develop and manage agribusiness ventures,” said Ramandeep Singh, director school of business studies, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.

Both students and teachers expect demand for such specialists to grow in the coming years.

MBA in agriculture: Colleges, courses

While some institutes offer a two-year diploma programme, PGDM-ABM, others offer a two-year master’s degree. They came up at different points over the past five decades. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, for example, launched a Special Programme in Agriculture in 1974 which later evolved into a full-fledged Postgraduate Programme (PGP).

Others also offer similar courses with different names as the list below shows.

• IIM Lucknow | PGP in Agribusiness Management (PGP-ABM)
• IIM Ahmedabad | PGP in Food and Agri-business Management (PGP-FABM)
• MANAGE Hyderabad |PGDM ABA
• NAARM Hyderabad |PGDM ABA
• National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) Jaipur | PGDM ABA
  
  

These institutes use the Common Admission Test (CAT) and Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) for admission. But the weight assigned to these exam scores in the overall admission process varies with the institution.

Other agricultural universities like PAU, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, hold their own entrance tests.

There are 40 MBA agribusiness seats at PAU. “We filled 28 seats through a merit list based on candidates' scores in our entrance test. The remaining 12 ICAR-nominated seats will be filled after counseling by ICAR on the basis of marks obtained by candidates in the ICAR-AIEEA-PG examination.” The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, India’s main body for agricultural education and research, conducts the All India Entrance Examination for Admission – Post Graduation. This year, there are 218 seats in agribusiness management across 23 universities.

“The exact title or nomenclature of the degree programme might vary from one university to another,” says the 2024 bulletin for ICAR-AIEEA-PG.

Also read ICAR introduces two new UG courses in natural farming and agriculture business management

MBA agribusiness curriculum

The ABM curriculum ranges from agriculture economics and policies to its management and supply chains.

Akriti Sharma, senior scale scientist in agribusiness management at India’s top agriculture college Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi said, “MBA agribusiness management teaches students how to cater to the value chain of farm produce till it reaches the consumer plate. It enables students to manage agriculture and related fields professionally.”

IARI does not have MBA agribusiness management as a separate course. “But we have courses related to agribusiness management, like MSc in agricultural economics, at masters level. I am also teaching themes related to agribusiness management to undergraduate students. There is no plan to launch MBA agribusiness at IARI, New Delhi because there is no faculty except me to teach the course,” she said.

She earned her MBA in agribusiness from Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agriculture University in Bikaner.

Mishra, now a student at NAARM, said that the PGDM-ABM at her institute is designed to make students industry-ready.

“The course has been structured to meet the industry needs. We go for a summer internship of two months and winter internship for one month. We are getting practical knowledge about every field related to agriculture. I hope to work as an administrator in the agri-input industry (seed, fertilizer, pesticide, machinery),” she said.

Singh said that PAU students are trained to fit jobs in agri-input companies, food processing firms, marketing and distribution, transportation and storage sector, rural development agencies, and government organisations. “We also train students for self employment and entrepreneurship; they can contribute to economic growth, job creation, rural development, food security, and environmental sustainability,” he said.

MBA agribusiness careers

Graduates of MBA agribusiness programmes are finding roles that range from sales and marketing to logistics and supply chain management. However, many of these roles require a combination of desk work and field visits, said current and former students who spoke to Careers360.

Ayush Mishra was not interested in agricultural research and wanted to work in a corporate environment after doing BSc Agriculture at an affiliated college of Lucknow University in 2021. He obtained an MBA ABM from SHUATS, Prayagraj, in 2023, and is now employed as a junior sales officer in a private agriculture-input company based in UP’s Farrukhabad.

“During MBA, I learned about dynamics of Indian agriculture markets, Companies Act, agriculture input supply chain and behavior of customers and farmers. Now, I am using those learnings to promote my company’s brand among farmers and shopkeepers.” he said.

“If someone is interested in running the administration of an agriculture company, he should pursue this course. If the person has potential, he can become country head even when he or she starts from junior level positions. ABM provides a good career growth opportunity. However, most jobs in this sector are field jobs and you do field visits even when you have a desk job.”

Jaspreet Kaur completed MBA agribusiness at PAU this year. She is now working as an international market executive in an agrochemical company based in Ludhiana.

“I was interested in the management side of agricultural products and services,” she said. “I learned about the technical aspects of keeping agricultural products safe, their packaging, storage etc and selling them.”