“Navigating the Government Connect: Unlock Grants, Subsidies, Policy Alignment & Zero-Cost Growth Opportunities”
Budget 2025-26: MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE; DEMAND NO. 2; Department of Agricultural Research and Education …
Strengthening Agricultural Education, Management & Social Sciences
:..The provision will provide financial support to all the agricultural universities in the country comprising State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Deemed Universities (DUs), and Central Universities (CUs) with Agriculture Faculty. The scheme is also responsible for maintenance and improvement of standard of agricultural education through:(i) accreditation of educational institutions, (ii) providing International/national fellowships both at post and undergraduate levels, (iii) Organization of training and capacity building programmes for the scientists/faculty of National Agricultural Research System in cutting-edge areas.
3.Strengthening Agricultural Education, Management & Social Sciences
OUTPUTS: 1.Teaching, Learning and Resource Student Strength
1.1. Number of Students enrolled in UG, PG and Ph.D. Programmes 1,65,000
1.2. Number of Girls students enrolled in UG, PG and PhD Programmes 70,400
1.3. Masters and Doctoral Degrees awarded 25,000
1.4. Increase in enrolment over last year (%) 10
1.5. Increase in proportion of girl students enrolled over last year (%) 2
2. Infrastructural Facilities 2.1 Creation of student/ faculty amenities (including Smart Classrooms, Hostels, Exam Hall and infrastructure for
creation of global universities) 90
3. New Knowledge Products Developed
3.1 National and international collaborations 50
3.2 Number of Practices/ technologies included in Package of Practices (POPs). 2
OUTCOMES: 1. Agriculture Education Environment
1.1 Students qualifying JRF/ SRF/ NET/ GATE exams 4,200
2. Professional excellence 2.1 No. of universities with active placement cells.70
2.2 No. of students selected through campus placements 10,000
2.3 Students/ graduate self- employed (Self- employments/ Startups) 60
3. Outcome Quality 3.1 Patents/ Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)/ Geographical Indication (GI)/ Copy rights/ License granted/ Registered. 20
3.2 % of publications in high impact journal (NAAS>6) out of total
publications 10
\3.3 Number of Ag ricultural Universities (AUs) in world ranking up to 500- 10
4. Policy support
4.1. Knowledge products/ inputs/models incorporated in policies/ strategies of public/ private sector. 20
Strengthening Agricultural Education: Startup Opportunity Analysis
Key Theme: Bridging the gap between academia and industry to foster agri-entrepreneurship and innovation.
________________________________________
1. Data Snapshot (Education-to-Employment Pipeline)
Metric Achievement Gap/Opportunity
Student Enrollment & Diversity
- Total students (UG/PG/PhD) 1,65,000 Only 10% YoY growth (needs acceleration)
- Female enrollment 70,400 (42.6%) Low in leadership roles (e.g., <5% deans)
Placements & Entrepreneurship
- Campus placements 10,000 <7% placement rate (vs. 30% in IITs)
- Student startups/self-employed 60 <0.04% entrepreneurship rate
Research & Innovation
- Patents/IPR filed 20 Low commercialization (most shelved)
- Global top-500 ranked agri-universities 10 Need for industry-aligned curriculum
________________________________________
2. Startup Opportunities
A. Education-to-Employment Bridge
Problem:
• 93% of agri-students lack formal placements; only 60 startups launched annually.
Solutions:
1. Agri-Talent Marketplace
o Startup Idea: "AgriHire" – LinkedIn for agri-students, connecting them with agribusinesses, FPOs, and startups.
o Feature: Skill-matching AI + micro-internships in precision farming, agri-tech.
2. Student Startup Incubators
o Startup Idea: "KrishiU Labs"* – University-affiliated incubators offering seed grants, mentorship, and IP support for student agri-startups.
o Model: Revenue-sharing from successful ventures.
B. Curriculum Modernization
Problem:
• Outdated curricula; only 2 POPs developed despite 50+ collaborations.
Solutions:
1. Industry-Academia Collaboration Platform
o Startup Idea: "AgriCourseX" – SaaS for universities to co-create courses with corporates (e.g., Bayer, ITC).
o Revenue Model: B2B subscription for certification programs.
2. Gamified Learning
o Startup Idea: "FarmSim" – VR-based farming simulations for practical training in climate-smart agriculture.
C. Women in Agri-Leadership
Problem:
• 70,400 female students enrolled but underrepresented in leadership.
Solutions:
1. Women Agripreneur Networks
o Startup Idea: "AgriSheLeads" – Mentorship platform connecting female students with women-led agribusinesses.
o Funding: Collaborate with Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP).
________________________________________
3. Challenges & Mitigation
Challenge Startup Fix
Low industry-academia synergy Mandatory corporate advisory boards in universities.
Poor startup culture "10K Agri-Startups" challenge with prize money.
Gender gap in leadership Reserved seats for women in agri-incubators.
________________________________________
4. Funding & Execution Strategy
• Government Schemes to Leverage:
o Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR) – Grants for agri-education startups.
o ATAL Innovation Mission – Funding for student incubators.
• Pilot Approach: Partner with top-ranked SAUs (e.g., PAU, Ludhiana; TNAU, Coimbatore).
________________________________________
5. Key Metrics for Startups
• Placement Rate (target 20% in 3 years via skill-matching platforms).
• Student Startups/Yr (scale from 60 to 1,000 with incubators).
• Female Founder Ratio (aim for 40% in agri-incubators).
