A career in agriculture can be a good choice as it is one of the sectors that often flies under most people’s radar. While more than 30% of the population of our country still subsists on growing food from the land, agriculture as a field of study is less popular because people still associate farming with rural life and poverty.

This makes agriculture a great subject to study as there is less competition in this field compared to others. Students in the field of agriculture can build successful careers working in various job roles because growing food is something that will be always needed. The demand for skilled professionals in the field of agriculture is especially high in our country which is why students of agriculture will have good jobs. If you are interested in starting your career in the agricultural sector early on, this blog is meant for you.

Diploma in Agriculture

The course of choice to get started early on in the field of agriculture is the diploma course in agriculture. This is usually a 2-year course that gets students acquainted with the basics of various fields in agriculture, along with giving them knowledge about new and emerging technologies to aid in these various fields.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for admission to any diploma in agriculture college is either merit-based on 10th standard results or based on the scores obtained in one of the various entrance examinations that are conducted for entry to some of these agricultural courses. For those colleges that do not require interested candidates to sit for an entrance examination, like MGU, the best university in Bhopal for agriculture studies, students must have passed their 10th boards with an aggregate of 50%. There is of course a 5% relaxation for students belonging to the reserved categories and other special cases as per the state government norms of Madhya Pradesh.

Fees

The fees for a diploma course in agriculture changes from college to college but are usually around the range of INR 7000 to INR 2 lakhs for the entire 2-year course. Some of the top diploma agriculture college in India are listed below along with their fees.

Diploma in Agriculture College	Fees
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana	INR 53,570
Central Agriculture University, Imphal	INR 22,000
IGNOU Delhi – Indira Gandhi National Open University	INR 8,000
BHU Varanasi – Banaras Hindu University	INR 20,000
Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul	INR 38,690
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad	INR 7,500
Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar	INR 69,260
OPJS University, Rajasthan	INR 65,000
National Institute of Agriculture	INR 20,000
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore	INR 21,100

Syllabus

The syllabus for diploma in agriculture for a typical agriculture college in MP may look something like this:

Diploma in Agriculture First Year Syllabus
Introduction to Agriculture	Principles of Insect Control
Principles of Agronomy	Soil Chemistry
Fundamentals of Soil Science	Agricultural Meteorology
Economic Botany	Basics of Agricultural Engineering
Principles of Horticulture	Livestock and Poultry Production
Biomathematics	Plant Pathology
Fundamentals of Entomology	Crop Production
Diploma in Agriculture Second Year Syllabus
Principles of Genetics	Agricultural Statistics
Dairy Cattle and Buffalo	Green House Technology
Diseases of Field Crop	Plant Breeding
Pests and Pest Control	Agricultural Microbiology
Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture	Weed Management
Production of Technology of Food Crops	Post-Harvest Technology
Water Management	Seed production Technology
Plant Nutrition, Manures, and Fertilizers	Plant Breeding

Specializations

Diploma in Agriculture courses in the best university in MP may also come with various specializations, some of which are:

• Food Processing – Students opting to specialize in food processing learn about the various techniques and technologies that are employed by the food processing industry to process huge amounts of produce.
• Animal Husbandry – Animal husbandry is the specialization that deals with the upkeep, best practices, breeding techniques, etc., of livestock farming of various animals.
• Organic Farming – The organic farming specialisation is all the rage in MGU, a prestigious agriculture college in Bhopal, as it deals with farming practices without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
• Seed Technology – This specialization deals with the best practices regarding the identification, storage, genetics, etc., of seeds.

We have also compiled a table that shows the average salary of a mid-level agricultural professional specializing in any of these fields and their average yearly salaries.

Specialization	Average Salary (INR)
Food Processing	5 lakhs per annum
Animal husbandry	4 lakhs per annum
Organic farming	1 lakh per annum
Seed technology	6.7 lakhs per annum

Career Prospects

The diploma in agriculture course from renowned institutions like MGU, the best university in Bhopal prepares students for a great and successful career in the agricultural field. These students get jobs easily because of the high demand and low supply of agricultural specialists in all parts of our country. 

Top Recruiters

There are many recruiters for diploma in agriculture students, both in the government and private sector. Some of the top recruiters in both these sectors are:

• National Seeds Corporation Limited
• NTN Agro Products
• Grant Thornton
• HGCA
• Abellon Agrisciences
• Frontier Agriculture
• HSBC Bank
• Soil Association
• Amul
• Velcourt Farms
• National Farmers Union

Common Job Roles and Their Salaries

We have tried to compile some of the most common job profiles that diploma in agriculture holders are hired for from any agriculture college in MP and their average expected salaries.

Job Profile	Job Description	Average Salary
Agriculture Sales Officer	Manages the sales teams of companies that deal in agricultural products, identifies leads, manages records in their assigned territory	INR 4.87 LPA
Poultry Farmer	Raises poultry for eggs and meat	INR 2.93 LPA
Tea Gardener	Manages the production, sales, etc., of tea gardens	INR 2.75 LPA
Horticulturist	Deals with the fertilization, planting, pruning, watering, and transplanting of plants as well as checking and treating them for pests and diseases	INR 3.64 LPA
Agriculture Consultant	Advise farming and public sector staff on technical, commercial, and financial matters	INR 2.16 LPA
Research Scholar	Research about making improvements in various agricultural processes	INR 3.14 LPA

Conclusion

Choosing the best university in Bhopal,  such as MGU is the best choice if you want to pursue a diploma in agriculture course after your 10th boards. This will give you a head start over your peers and after the completion of your 2-year diploma course, you will be successfully employed while your peers are still looking for colleges to study in. Top-notch colleges like MGU have one of the best agriculture departments in the country and will teach you everything you need to know to have a successful career in agriculture.

 

FAQs

1. Is the 5% relaxation in eligibility criteria also valid for defense personnel and their dependents?

Yes. The 5% relaxation in eligibility criteria for the diploma in agriculture applies to students of North East states including Sikkim/ Defense Personnel and their Dependents/ Wards of Kashmiri Migrants.

2. Can I pursue higher education after doing a diploma in agriculture?

Yes. You can go on to do a BSc in agriculture or a PGD course after a diploma in agriculture for getting access to jobs with higher salaries.

3. Is it possible to start my farm after a diploma in agriculture?

Yes. Starting your farm is one of the best ways to earn a lot of money while applying the modern principles of agriculture that you learn in your diploma course. You will be prepared to understand the ins and outs of any type of farm you choose to start if you have a diploma in agriculture.

4. Are there distance education options for getting a diploma in agriculture?

Yes, there are. IGNOU offers one of the most popular ones in our country.

5. Is the diploma in agriculture course based on a semester system at MGU?

No. The diploma in an agriculture course at MGU, one of the best agriculture college in Bhopal, is based on a yearly model.