Department of Agriculture and cooperation Ministry of Agriculture
www.agricoop.nic.in

National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development
www.nabard.org

National Institute of Agricultural
Extension Management
www.manage.gov.in

Shri Ajit Singh, Honourable Union Minister for Agriculture, addressing the gathering at the launching of the training in Andhra Pradesh, at MANAGE, Hyderabad. (L to R) Shri Sarangal, NABARD, Shri A.K. Goel, IAS, Director General, MANAGE and Shri Sudhir Kumar, SFAC.

Hon'ble Union Minister for Agriculture Shri Ajit Singh ji addressing the participants said that agriculture was passing through a transition period. Therefore farmers must adopt new technologies for improving productivity and the quality of their produce. It is all the more important in view of WTO challenges. He urged the 'agri- entrepreneurs' emerging from the newly launched Agriclinics and Agri business centers scheme to assist the Indian farmers utilize the latest technology to face these challenges. He asked agriculture graduates to strive to bring in a change in the quality of life of the farmers by offering them professional extension services at an affordable cost round the clock.

Over 11,900 graduates from Agriculture and allied sectors pass out from Agricultural Universities every year. However, only 2000 are able to find employment both in the Government and Private sectors. Thus a reservoir of around 9,900 graduates every year, is available for supporting the agricultural production process if viable business opportunities are afforded to them.

At the same time, due to a number of constraints and other reasons, public extension is shrinking, paving the way for wide extension gaps at a time when Indian Agriculture is facing more challenges than ever before.

This context of an extension gap and availability of a vast reservoir of untapped resource of unemployed Agriculture graduates gave birth to the centrally sponsored scheme of "Agri-Clinics and Agri – Business Centres".

Launching of training under the "Agriclinics and Agribusiness centers scheme at Jaipur, Rajasthan in April 2002. (l to r) Shri A.K. Goel, IAS, Director General, MANAGE, Shri J.M. Mathew, Director, BIRD, Shri N.K. Puri, Managing Director, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, Shri Ajit Singh, Union Agriculture Minister, Shri J.N.L Srivastava, IAS, Secretary, Dept of Agriculture and Cooperation, Shri S. Subramanium, Executive Director, NABARD and Shri Sudhir Kumar, Managing Director, SFAC are seen in the picture.