Agricultural Engineering

India's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and is understandably generates high employment .There is an escalating need for the latest in technology and irrigation systems in India because of the growing population. Agricultural engineers would be required to solve problems related to many of these farm products

Work

An agricultural engineer's job is to provide solutions for  technical problems related to agriculture. Work in water supply and water irrigation fields is related to Dam Design, Canal, Pipeline, Pump Systems, Micro - Irrigation Systems and Drainage System etc whereas under agricultural mechanisation, an engineer designs tractors and tests for machines and equipments, engineers working in the field of soil conservation research effective methods of flood water drainage etc.

Eligibility and Courses
If one opts for agricultural engineering, she/he needs to qualify the 10+2 examination with physics, chemistry and mathematics/ biology. Most institutes and universities organise entrance tests for admission in BE/BTech programmes. The duration of these courses is four years. Diploma courses are also available for agriculture engineering. Duration of a diploma course is 2-3 years. Some institutes may grant admission based on the applicant’s academic record in school. For admission in ME/ MTech programmes in agriculture engineering, one has to clear the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). PhD courses are available in IIT, Kharagpur and Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.

Scope
Ample opportunities for employment are available for agricultural engineers in public and private sectors. Jobs can be found in manufacturing companies, water resources management, forestry, food processing, rural development etc. Agricultural engineers can also work with NGO's on various projects and schemes. The new investments by big corporates in agriculture have considerably broadened the scope for students of agricultural engineering. .

Jobs are also available in the:

• Public Sector:

1. Agriculture Department (State and Central Governments)
2. Development Organization
3. Universities / Institutes
4. Labs

• Private Sector:

1. Agriculture Co-operatives
2. Agriculture Manufacturing Units
3. Fertilizer and Irrigation Companies
4. Farming Companies
5. Service Organizations
6. Self Help Organizations

Earning
The income of an agricultural engineer is at par with that of his counterpart in other fields. . Initially, his remuneration could be between  Rs.12,000-15,000 per month. Income is naturally augmented proportionately with experience.

Institutes
Presently, there are roughly 43 agriculture universities in the country that are offering undergraduate and post graduate courses in agricultural engineering.. In addition, the Indian Institute of  Technology  is  also offering courses related to agriculture engineering.
A more comprehensive list is given below:

 1. Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi
 2. Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar
 3. Sher - e - Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Srinagar
 4. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
 5. Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur
 6. Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner
 7. Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa
 8. Govind Vallabhpant University of Agriculture and Technology, Udham Singh Nagar
 9. Birsa Agricultural University, Jharkhand
 10. Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Allahabad
 11. Indira Gandhi Agriculture University, Raipur
 12. Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur
 13. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology