Study Agri-Business Management at IIM Lucknow in an era of ‘Atma Nirbhar Krishi’

IIM Lucknow’s Agribusiness Management has recently caught every MBA student’s attention because of India’s booming Agriculture sector. India is likely to export agricultural products worth 60 billion USD by 2022. The share of Indian agriculture in its total GDP has increased from 17.8 percent in 2019-20 to 19.9 percent in 2020-21. Because of such growth, there has been a need for trained professionals to manage businesses in the Agri sector.

The PGP Agribusiness Management at IIM Lucknow is a full-time course focused on business management practices in the Agri sector. The fee of the program is about 14.5 Lakhs Per Annum INR. The average placements were 20 – 23 Lakhs Per Annum INR. In case you want to study Agri-Business Management, especially in an era of ‘Atma Nirbhar Krishi,’ you can pursue this course from IIM Lucknow (IIML).

What is Agribusiness Management?

Agribusiness management deals with the marketing and management of agricultural products, livestock, and crops.

It also includes several other facets in the Agri sector like – resource management, farming, and crop conservation. IIM Lucknow’s PGP in Agri-Business Management trains students to acquire skills required to manage small scale to large scale agribusinesses.

Role of IIM Lucknow’s PGP-ABM in an era of ‘Atma Nirbhar Krishi’

The main focus of Atma Nirbhar Krishi is to make India a global hub for agriculture. This initiative aims to make India self-reliant and manage the Agri sector to benefit the farmers. The main motive is to transform Indian Agriculture into a Sustainable Enterprise.

Atma Nirbhar Krishi is bound to bolster local markets and develop a robust agriculture ecosystem in India. This is why trained professionals are needed to manage agribusinesses. IIM Lucknow PGP-ABM aims to train management aspirants on various management practices relevant to the agribusiness sector.

To develop any industry, a talented and qualified workforce is required. The agribusiness management course at IIM L does precisely that.

IIM Lucknow – Centre for Food and Agribusiness Management

Through the IIM Lucknow’s PGP in Agribusiness Management course, young and dynamic managers and entrepreneurs get trained to improve the performance of both corporate and public-sector industries in agriculture.

Keeping the same view in mind, the Institute established the Centre for Food and Agribusiness Management (CFAM) in 1998. CFAM today has developed into a fully-fledged and global Centre of excellence in the field of agribusiness & food management. The Centre has inducted the PGP – Agri-Business Management to train aspirants interested to make a career in the Agri sector.

Besides that, the CFAM at IIM L works harder to promote the professional management skills of agricultural and other rural resources among the young and passionate candidates.

The center aims at enhancing knowledge for efficient management of the food and agribusiness sector by preparing future entrepreneurs. It strives to deliver high-quality training supported by field-based research through effective linkages between national & international academic institutions as well as organizations and agencies.

CFAM at IIM Lucknow also provides consultancy to national & international organizations in the field of agriculture and rural management.

IIM Lucknow: PGP-ABM

The Post Graduate Program in Agribusiness Management (PGP-ABM) offered at IIM Lucknow is a full-time two-year residential management education course that is focused on the food & agribusiness sector.

The course also offers various electives like – Agri-input Marketing, Value Chain Finance in Agribusiness, Contemporary Strategies In Food & Agribusiness Management, Rural Marketing, Strategic Food Marketing, Innovation In Agribusiness, and others.

The teaching methodology – foundation course, lectures, case studies, workshops, seminars, management games, audio-visual aids, and computer-based learning.

PGP-ABM Foundation Course

• IIM Lucknow delivers a Foundation Course based on Agriculture and Allied Sectors. The course is helpful for the students coming from a non-agricultural education background.
• Several foundation courses in the functional areas of management will be made available for the students in the first year. The agricultural / rural-context-specific courses will be introduced in the second year.
• Students will get relevant exposure and hands-on experience in the agriculture sector.
• Students with a non-agricultural education background will be a part of a four-week intensive foundation course.
• The Foundation Course is designed based on international parameters.

Research and Training

The PGP Agribusiness Management program involves fundamental and innovative research projects for providing managerial skills required in the agribusiness and the food industry.

The CFAM has established strong links with national and international institutes in the field of agribusiness and food. It has participated in several collaborative research projects as well.

The CFAM at IIM Lucknow also arranges several short-duration training courses. These courses cater to both the public and private sector for agricultural policy and business decision-makers in India and abroad. Several training programs were conducted for the participants from Asian and African countries on agribusiness and rural development.

IIM Lucknow: PGP – ABM Eligibility

• Students planning to study this course must have a bachelor’s degree in any Stream / Engineering / Technology or equivalent courses. Students from Food and Agri sector streams will be preferred.
• The degree should be recognized by the Association of Indian Universities New Delhi and UGC.
• The minimum eligibility required to study PGP Agribusiness Management at IIM L is 50% in Bachelors or an equivalent GPA.

IIM L – Admission Process

• Candidates will be shortlisted based on their performance in the CAT 2021 exam.
• Shortlisted candidates will be called for the IIM L GD-PI rounds based on their CAT performance, educational credentials, and relevant work experience.
• IIM Lucknow Admission Process 2021 will be held at Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad.
• The final selection will be based on the performance in CAT, GD-PI-WAT, and work experience (if any).

IIM Lucknow PGP Agribusiness Management: What is on offer for students?

The Agribusiness management course offered at IIM L focuses on management decisions relevant to the agri-food sector in a changing international environment.

1. The Centre has provided consultancy to the World Bank, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture (GOI), Department of Science & Technology (GOI), and many state governments in the past. This indirectly helps students who are enrolled in the PGP-ABM course. They get to participate in live projects and case studies.
2. There are different career options in the various sectors of agri-business in India like – Marketing, General Management, Finance, Policy, and Consultancy in Private, Public, and Non-government Organizations, etc.
3. After completion, students can either pursue PhD in Agribusiness Management at IIM Lucknow or any other top MBA colleges in India and Abroad. The placements are also good at IIM Lucknow; this is why the college is rated highly by NIRF on the below parameters.

IIM Lucknow PGP Placements

Being an agricultural country, India offers limitless job opportunities to graduates and postgraduates who have vast knowledge in the agriculture field. The Indian Government has invested tremendously in the past couple of years in the Agri sector.

Whether it is the inauguration of a mega food park in Punjab worth 107.83 crore INR (14.6 million USD), or the “Atma Nirbhar Krishi” initiative, or the PM-Kisan scheme has created a stir in India’s agriculture. Hence, post completing the IIM Lucknow’s PGP – Agribusiness Management, graduates get placed for several management-level jobs within the public and private sectors.

IIM Lucknow also encourages an entrepreneurial mindset among students. “Atma Nirbhar Krishi” initiative focuses on making India self-reliant in the agriculture sector. And elf-reliance can not be achieved without new business entities raising their hands up to bolster India’s agriculture.

The IIM L placements are good, where various companies like NABARD, Parle, Eicher, NCML, Bayer Crop Science, PepsiCo, NBHC, Britannia, etc., visit every year to recruit. Pursuing a PG Agribusiness Management course from one of the top colleges like IIM Lucknow allows students to earn between 15 lakh – 23 lakhs per annum INR.

Thus, the agri-business management program offered at IIML allows all the students to get a complete understanding of the global challenges and opportunities in modern agri-business management.

The course aims at developing professionals in various industries in the agri-food sector like – agricultural supply industries, agricultural trade industries, agricultural cooperatives, agricultural consultancy companies, and much more. Please visit the official website for more information.