Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan Wednesday launched the ‘ASEAN-India Fellowship’ for Higher Education in Agriculture and Allied Sciences here.

During his address on the occasion, Mr Chouhan noted that agriculture has been the backbone of India’s economy for centuries, providing livelihoods to millions and contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It continues to be the largest provider of employment, especially in rural areas.

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The sector, however, faces numerous challenges, including climate change, decreasing soil fertility, small landholdings, inadequate mechanization, and dependence on monsoons, diseases, post-harvest losses, marketing issues and price volatility. Agricultural education plays a critical role in developing a skilled, talented, and entrepreneurial workforce capable of addressing these challenges and ensuring the profitability and sustainability of the agriculture sector in the coming years, the minister said.

He said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has been at the forefront of shaping and ensuring the quality of agricultural education in India. It sets the rules, policies, and standards to ensure that agricultural education thrives across the country and contributes to sustainable development in this sector.

Supported by public funding under the National Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension System, India has 66 State Agricultural Universities, 4 Deemed Universities, 3 Central Agricultural Universities, and 4 Central Universities with agricultural faculties, all supervised by ICAR.

These institutions offer a range of programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels in various fields, including agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, veterinary science, agricultural engineering, and more. They also conduct significant research in agricultural sciences and provide services to farmers and stakeholders.

To meet the need for talented individuals in agriculture and allied sciences in the country, ICAR’s Agricultural Education Division has been conducting a national-level entrance examination annually since 1996-97. Through this examination, centralized admissions are provided to 20% of undergraduate and 30% of postgraduate (Masters and Doctoral) programs in agriculture and allied sciences across the country. The primary objective of these examinations is to promote academic excellence in agricultural education by fostering talent, encouraging merit, and enhancing examination standards across universities, thereby improving the overall quality of higher agricultural education in the country.

To attract students to higher agricultural education and to achieve academic excellence in teaching and research in agriculture and allied sciences, ICAR offers various scholarships/fellowships to undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students based on criteria developed by the Council. The rates of these scholarships/fellowships, along with the guidelines, are revised from time to time. These scholarships/fellowships are awarded to students who secure admission in agricultural universities through ICAR’s entrance examinations for ICAR seats.