Agriculture has been as intrinsic a part of India as the spices, the Himalayas and yoga. Just like you cannot imagine any of the above mentioned elements without relating them to India, the same goes for agriculture. History supports the fact that since the early emergence of Indus Valley civilization, our country has been ‘primarily an agricultural state’. Today, with its third rank after China and United States in terms of value added agriculture, India very proudly has still carried forward that legacy of the ancient profession of farming and agriculture.
In a country that is so intensively rooted in agriculture, there arises an inherent need to keep it alive and breathing to be passed on to the generations to come. Coincidentally, India is projected to be the youngest country in the world by 2020, just six years from now. While most of them find irresistible allure in higher-paying careers like engineering and medicine, India needs to wake up and take adequate measures to create a connectivity between two of its biggest strengths. You could have the best tractor in India, but it is of little use if there are not a bright mind to take it to the farmers. Hence, enters the term agriculture entrepreneur or ‘agri-preneur’.
The exact definition of agricultural entrepreneurship is quite a broad term in itself to begin with. A wide range of meanings and definitions can be found in various literature, books and across the internet. The term agriculture is self-explanatory, whereas an ‘entrepreneur’ is understood by an average person to be a business owner or starter; someone who is self-employed, sole-trader, or farmer. In complying with these definitions, we unconsciously confuse the position of an entrepreneur with their role in the society.
An agriculture entrepreneur is not necessarily the inventor of the strongest tractor, or the best farming tractor in the world, but in fact, any individual who is contributing in his own small way to bridge the gap between the latest technologies and the farmers, giving them opportunities to get acquainted with the latest farm equipment in India, products and services, special concessions, practices, facilities by the government and much more.
However, the major hindrance in the fulfillment of this issue lies in the lack of awareness even among the educated youth in India. Entrepreneurship is always a risk-laden step, and therefore not the first choice for Indian parents obsessed with job security and safe future. Also, the governmental bottlenecks and red-tapism in this sector make it a tough nut to crack.
To overcome these issues, government should set up entrepreneurship training institutes that can identify problems and constraints faced by the agriculture sector and provide appropriate solutions through intensive and extensive research.