Great opportunities in horticulture boom
For professionally qualified horticulturists, there are wide-ranging work options (including entrepreneurship) which offer handsome remuneration
With an annual growth rate of 30-35 percent, India’s high-potential horticulture industry is blooming and is poised for a great leap forward with the opening up of foreign markets post new WTO (World Trade Organisation) accords, and revolutionary advances in greenhouse technology. Giving this industry a big push forward also is the entry of retail giants such as Reliance, Future, Foodworld and Walmart which are all set to establish multi-product retail chain stores inter alia offering farm fresh and processed foods to the fast expanding middle class countrywide.For admission into most B.Sc (horticulture) degree or diploma programmes, the minimum eligibility requirement is clear-ance of Plus Two in science or agriculture with at least 50 percent average. The minimum qualification for admission into the Master’s programme in horticulture is a 60 percent plus average while graduating in the same or related streams. Admis-sion to universities could be based upon collegiate exam scores or academic performance in an entrance examination.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Krishi Anusandhan Bhavan, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012) conducts a pan-India entrance examination for admission into undergraduate courses in agriculture, horticulture and allied sciences for 15 percent of the total number of seats in state agricultural universities and the Central Agriculture University, Imphal.
Among the most reputable universities and colleges of agriculture/ horticulture are Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur; Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli 415 712; Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri 413 722; Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431 402; College of Agriculture, Pune 411 005; University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore 560 065; College of Agriculture, Hebbal, Karnataka; College of Horticulture, Rahuri; Rev. Carey Institute of Horticulture, Kolkata; Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan 173 230; Central Agricultural University, Imphal 795 001; G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar 263 145; Gujarat Agricultural University, Sardar Krushinagar 385 506; Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi 221 005 and University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 580 005.
For professionally qualified horticulturists, there are wide-ranging work options (including entrepre-neurship) which offer handsome remuneration. They can be gainfully employed in agro-based industries, fruit and vegetable processing units, forestry-based industries, insecticide, pesticide and fungicide manufacturing units and state horticulture and forest departments. Moreover hotels, health farms, holiday resorts and a growing number of office and residential complexes employ horticulturists to beautify their environments.
For Indian industry to rise to the new opportunities and challenges in agro-industry and horticulture, in 1998 the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) drew up a blueprint of a world class Horticulture Training Centre (HTC) at Talegaon (near Pune) in collaboration with the Practical Training Center of the Netherlands and The Netherlands Development Finance Company.
"The first of its type in Asia, this centre was promoted in October 2003 and to date has delivered practical training to 4,800 farmers and other professionals in greenhouse technologies which came to India in the early 1990s. We conduct a week’s residential training programme in Marathi, English and Hindi throughout the year and attract trainees from all over the country as well as neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan," says Dr. Suresh Dhumal, director of HTC. Dhumal has nurtured the centre ever since inception and has made it self-sufficient in record time.
Dhumal is particularly enthused about the polyhouses set up by HTC for teaching greenhouse technology. This technology is profitable where land has been fragmented and intensive farming is necessary. "Although initial investment is high, the payback period is short and yields are year round. This technology facilitates the growing of high value crops like roses, carnations and exotic vegetables in polyhouses. Walmart has established 45 acres of polyhouses in Chandigarh and has started growing exotic vegetables. The entry of big corporates like Reliance, Walmart into the horticulture industry and trade is certain to unlock the huge latent potential of Indian agriculture," he says.
Little wonder Dhumal exhorts youth to qualify to enter the jumping horticulture industry. "There are huge employment and entreprene-urial opportunities in this industry. Across the world there is a shift from traditional to commercial crops like biofuel. An imminent shortage in agricultural crops will compel the developed countries to turn to India which has an edge in terms of natural and human resources. Within the next decade Indian horticulture firms will be a force to reckon with in global markets," predicts Dhumal. Better late than never!
Indra Gidwani (Mumbai)