An Overview of Agricultural Universities of North East India

Chapter-4 An Overview of Agricultural Universities of North East India 4.1 Introduction: Agriculture is a source of livelihood to the majority of population in India. Today India is self sufficient in food production with surplus production resulting in agricultural exports. According to Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimates, the share of agriculture and allied sectors (including agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishery) was 15.35% of the Gross Value Added (GVA) during 2015 16 at 2011 12 prices and agricultural products comprise the 4 th largest exported commodity contributing 10% of total exports of the country. (http://www.ibef.org). Success in agricultural production is achieved through continuous and persistent efforts of the agricultural scientists and farmers throughout the country. Successive governments have invested heavily for the all round development of agriculture in the entire country by establishing agricultural universities, research institutions, agricultural credit banks and various welfare schemes to help the farmers. Government of India has allocated a huge sum of Rs. 35,984 crore for agriculture and farmers welfare in the 2016-2017 Union Budget. (http://www.indiabudget.nic.in) Agricultural education and research forms the basis of agricultural development of a country by providing trained manpower, improved agricultural tools and techniques, training of farmers through extension education and framing agricultural policies and guidelines. The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) of India is one of the largest agricultural research systems in the world comprising of 5 deemed universities, 63 national institutes, 14 national research centres, 6 national bureaus and 14 directorates/project directorates under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) system; and 3 central agricultural universities and 61 state agricultural universities. (http://www.icar.org.in). Many international organisations like Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Bank have funded many projects for agricultural development in India. Consortium for e-resources in Agriculture (CeRA) is a World Bank funded library consortium project for providing access to reputed

international scientific journals to all researchers / teachers in the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). 4.2 North East India: North East India consisting of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura constitutes about 8% of India's geographical size and its population is approximately 40 million about 3.1% of the total Indian population. Northeast India has a subtropical climate influenced by the southwest and northeast monsoons. Average annual rainfall is 233.5 cm. (http://www.en.wikipedia.org). Rice is the major crop of the region accounting for about 89% of the cultivated area and 92% of the total food grains production in the region. The other major crops are maize, wheat, millets, oilseeds and pulses. (Mishra and Misra, 2006). According to Birthal (2010, p. 329) northeastern states which are rich in land and water and having a favorable climate, hill agricultural practice has a considerable potential to grow, and contribute towards improving farm incomes, enhancing food and nutrition security, reducing rural poverty and accelerating the overall economic growth of the region. Unfortunately the growth potential of hill agriculture has remained underexploited due to lack of system-specific production technologies, poor infrastructure (transport, markets, processing) and underdeveloped institutions (credit, extension, information, insurance). He further adds that the agricultural sector, including crops, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry contributed 26% to the northeastern region s GDP in 2008-09, down by 11 percentage points than in 1993-94. 4.3 History of Agricultural Education and Research in India: Gupta (1990) cited in Singh (2012, p. 5-6) opined that the agricultural education existed in India even during the medieval period and the most ancient universities of the world viz. Nalanda and Takshila had curricula on agriculture. The British Government had set up many Commissions and Committees for improving the agricultural production in India especially after the great famine of 1876-78. The Famine Commission Report (1880), Dr J A Voelcker s Report on Improvement of Indian Agriculture (1891) and Establishment of Agricultural Colleges (1905) all stressed on improving agricultural education and research. The establishment of Imperial Agricultural Research Institute in 55

1905 at Pusa (Bihar) now famous as Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) an institute of national importance at Delhi since 1936 was a landmark in agriculture education and research in the country. Upon the recommendation of the Establishment of Agricultural Colleges (1905) Commission, with an annual grant of Rs. 2 million six agricultural colleges and research stations adequately equipped with modernized laboratories, class rooms and an agriculture farms were established at Coimbatore (1906), Kanpur (1906), Lyallpur (1906), Poona (1907), Nagpur (1907), and Sabour (1908) with a mission to develop education and research in the areas of agriculture such as Botany, Chemistry, Entomology, and Agronomy. These colleges offered diploma/certificate courses in agricultural sciences. Later the degree level was introduced and these colleges were affiliated to general universities. (Singh, 2012). After Independence, the various commissions established by the Government of India found that the agricultural education system could not progress under the general university system and this necessitated the establishment of one agricultural university in each state of the country. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is entrusted with the overall responsibility of maintaining the quality of higher agricultural education including veterinary sciences, research and extension in the country. ICAR is the apex body responsible for framing syllabus, accreditation of courses, funding research projects. 4.3.1 History of Agricultural Education and Research in North East India: Most of the north eastern states were a part of larger Assam during India s independence excluding Manipur, Sikkim and Tripura. Under the Imperial Rule, an agricultural research station was established at Karimganj in 1913 followed by another at Titabar in 1923. After independence, the Assam Agricultural College at Jorhat and the Assam Veterinary College at Nagaon were established in 1948. Later on in 1969, when the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) was established with it s headquarter at Jorhat both these colleges came under its control and the Veterinary College was shifted from Nagaon to the present location at Khanapara, Guwahati. (http://www.aau.ac.in). Other than Assam, the Manipur Government had established the Manipur Agriculture 56

College at Imphal in 1979 which later became a constituent college of Central Agricultural University (CAU) in 1993. (http://www.cau.ac.in). 4.4 Agricultural Universities of North East India: Inaccessibility, remoteness and communication backwardness are characteristics of North East India. In North East India agriculture is mostly rainfed and hill agriculture done by mostly small and marginal farmers. Farmers in North East India are not aware about improved agricultural techniques and major agricultural equipments are not used in North East India. Most of the crops produced in North East India are not in commercial mode. To address these gaps, Assam Agricultural University and Central Agricultural University were established in the year 1969 and 1993 respectively. Both the universities share a common mission and objective of improving the agricultural education and production in North East India. 4.4.1 Assam Agricultural University: Assam Agricultural University (AAU) is the first agricultural university of North East India established in 1969. The main goal of this university is to produce trained human resources in agriculture and to carry out research for improving agricultural production and transfer the technology for the benefit of the farmers. In order to achieve the above, the university has a support base of 9 Colleges, 6 Regional Agricultural Research Stations (RARS), 6 Commodity Research Centres and 23 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) throughout the state with its headquarter at Jorhat. The university has libraries in all the constituent colleges to support the education and research activities. Rev. B M Pugh Library at the headquarter controls the branch libraries of constituent colleges by providing books, journals and staff. The library provides access to electronic resources to the students, teachers and scientists through CeRA and DeLCON consortia. It also individually subscribes to CAB ebooks. PhD theses submitted to the university in between 2001 to 2006 were digitized under ICAR sponsored Krishiprabha project and full text made available online to authorized users and for others abstracts are available. (http://www.aau.ac.in). 57

Assam Agricultural University offers undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral courses in agriculture and allied subjects in the following six faculties: 4.4.1.1 Faculty of Agriculture: There are three Colleges under this Faculty, viz., Agriculture situated at Jorhat, Biswanath Agriculture (BNCA) at Biswanath Chariali, about 250 km from Jorhat and recently established Sarat Chandra Singha Agriculture (SCSCA) at Chapar, Dhubri about 600 km from Jorhat. Post Graduate programmes are offered only in the selected disciplines of the Agriculture, Jorhat and Biswanath Agriculture. The degree programmes offered by the Faculty of Agriculture are as follows: 1. B.Sc. (Agriculture) of 8 semesters 2. M.Sc. (Agriculture) of 4 semesters 3. MBA (Agri Business) of 4 semesters 4. M.Sc. (Food Technology) of 4 semesters 5. PhD in Agriculture of 6 semesters 4.4.1.2 Faculty of Veterinary Science: Veterinary Science, Khanapara, Guwahati and Lakhimpur Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur are the two colleges under the faculty of veterinary science. The degree programmes offered by the Faculty of Veterinary Science are as follows: 1. B.V.Sc. & A.H. of 10 semesters 2. M.V.Sc. of 4 semesters 3. PhD in Veterinary Science of 6 semesters 4.4.1.3 Faculty of Home Science: Home Science established in 1973 at AAU Headquarter, Jorhat is the only college under this faculty. The degree programmes offered by the Faculty of Home Science are as follows: 58

1. B.Sc. (Home Science) of 8 semesters 2. M.Sc. (Home Science) of 4 semesters 3. PhD in Home Science of 6 semesters 4.4.1.4 Faculty of Fisheries Science: The Faculty has only one Fisheries Science at Raha, Nagaon, 200 km away from Jorhat and 100 km from Guwahati. The degree programmes offered are: 1. B.F.Sc. of 8 semesters 2. M.F.Sc. in Aquaculture of 4 semesters 3. PhD in Fishery Science of 6 semesters 4.4.1.5 Faculty of Horticulture: The Faculty has only one Horticulture at Nalbari about 400 away from Jorhat established in 2014. The degree programme offered is B.Sc. (Horticulture) of 8 semesters. 4.4.1.6 Faculty of Sericulture: The Faculty has only one Sericulture at Titabar about 25 km away from AAU Headquarter established in 2014. The degree programme offered is B.Sc. (Sericulture) of 8 semesters. Assam Agricultural University (AAU) offers a unique four-year degree program in Agriculture with specialization in Tea Husbandry and Technology (THT), which covers the entire gamut of tea cultivation, production and marketing. (http://www.aau.ac.in). 59

Table 4.1: Summary of Faculties, Colleges, Courses and Intake capacity of AAU (Data compiled from AAU and Colleges Websites and Information Bulletin 2016-17) Faculty Faculty of Agriculture Faculty of Veterinary Science Faculty of Home Science Faculty of Fisheries Science Faculty of Horticulture Faculty of Sericulture Name of the college Agriculture, Jorhat Biswanath Agriculture, Biswanath Chariali SCS Agriculture, Chapar, Dhubri Veterinary Science, Khanapara, Guwahati Lakhimpur Veterinary Science, Joyhing, North Lakhimpur Home Science, Jorhat Fisheries Science, Raha, Nagaon Horticulture, Nalbari Sericulture, Titabar Year of Website/webpage establishment 1948 www.aau.ac.in/?q =node/37 Courses/ Intake capacity BSc (Agriculture)/150 MSc (Agriculture)/163 MBA (Agri Business)/10 MSc (Food Technology)/10 PhD/104 1988 BSc(Agriculture)/40 MSc(Agriculture)/15 2014 BSc (Agriculture)/24 1969 www.vetbifguwah ati.ernet.in 1988 www.lakhimpur.n ic.in/vety.htm BVSc/100 MVSc/128 PhD/66 BVSc/30 1973 BSc (Home Sc)/45 MSc (Home Sc)/35 PhD/20 1988 BFSc/25 MFSc/12 2014 http://www.aau.ac.in/?q=book/colle ge-horticulturenalbari 2014 http://www.aau.ac.in/?q=book/colle ge-sericultureassamagriculturaluniversity-jorhat- 0 PhD/2 BSc (Horticulture)/25 BSc (Sericulture)/25 60

Figure 4.1: Constituent Colleges of Assam Agricultural University (Raw map source: http://online.assam.gov.in/assammaps) 4.4.2.2 Central Agricultural University: Government of India had established the t Central Agricultural University in 1993 to look after the agricultural development of north eastern states other than Assam and Nagaland. With the recent establishment of the Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry at Jalukie, Peren District., Nagaland also came under the jurisdiction of Central Agricultural University, rsity, Imphal. The jurisdiction of the University extends to seven out of eight North Eastern States viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, with headquarters at Imphal in Manipur. The University aims to excel in teaching, research and extension education in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. The University trains the farmers through extension education programmes organized from time to time for the effective dissemination of advanced agricultural technologies hnologies in North East India. To fulfill its mission, the 61

University established ten constituent colleges and three Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in the seven states of North East India. (http://www.cau.ac.in). The constituent colleges of Central Agricultural University have libraries with good collection of books and journals. There is no central library in the CAU system and all the constituent college libraries work independently under a separate budget allocation. All the constituent colleges have IP based access to CeRA and DeLCON consortia as part of the ICAR and Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India policies respectively. The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in agriculture and allied sciences through the following constituent colleges: 4.4.2.1 Agriculture, Imphal, Manipur: With the establishment of Central Agricultural University at Imphal in 1993, the-then Manipur Agriculture College which was established by Manipur Government during the year 1979 became a constituent college of the CAU. The college has 12 departments to offer the following courses: 1. B.Sc. (Agriculture) 2. BTech (Food Technology) 3. M.Sc. (Agriculture) 4. PhD in Agriculture 4.4.2.2 Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Aizawl, Mizoram: The Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry is established in 1997 at Selesih, located a distance of 12 km from Aizawl the capital of Mizoram. The College has 17 teaching Departments with fully equipped laboratories, lecture halls, library and instructional farm. The degree programmes offered are: 1. B.V.Sc. & A.H 2. M.V.Sc 3. PhD 62

4.4.2.3 Fisheries, Agartala, Tripura: Fisheries had been established in 1998 at Lembucherra, Agartala considering the greater potential of fishery activities in Tripura. (http://www.cofcau.nic.in). The degree programmes offered by the Fisheries are as follows: 1. B.F.Sc. 2. M.F.Sc. 3. PhD 4.4.2.4 Horticulture and Forestry, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh: Horticulture & Forestry, a constituent the Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur, was established on 7 th March 2001 at Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh on the bank of beautiful river Siang. (http://www.chfcau.org.in). The degree programmes offered are: 1. B.Sc. (Horticulture) 2. B.Sc. (Forestry) 3. B. Sc. (Agriculture) 4. M.Sc. (Horticulture) 5. M.Sc. (Forestry) 6. PhD 4.4.2.5 Home Science, Tura, Meghalaya: The Home Science is located at Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, approximately 220 kilometers from Guwahati. The degree programmes offered are: 1. B.Sc. (Home Sc.) 2. M.Sc. (Home Sc.) 63

4.4.2.6 Agricultural Engineering and PHT, Gangtok, Sikkim: The Agricultural Engineering Post Harvest Technology (CAEPHT) was established by CAU in the year 2006 to address the issue of shortage of trained manpower in agricultural engineering. (http://www.caepht.ac.in). The degree programmes offered are: 1. BTech (Agril. Engg.) 2. BTech (Food Process Engg.) 3. MTech (Soil & Water Engg.) 4. MTech (Farm Machinery & Power Engg) 5. MTech (Food Engineering) 6. PhD 4.4.2.7 Postgraduate Studies, Barapani, Shillong, Meghalaya: The Post-Graduate Studies was established in the year 2007 with the objective of training post graduate students of agriculture from the North Eastern Hill states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. (http://www.cpgs.ac.in). The degree programmes offered by the college are: 1. B.Sc. (Agriculture) 2. M.Sc. (Agriculture) 3. PhD Central Agricultural University has recently established the following constituent colleges to meet the regional demands: 1. Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jalukie, Peren District., Nagaland 2. Horticulture, Thenzawl, Mizoram 3. Horticulture, Bermiok, Namchi, Sikkim 64

Table 4.2: Summary of Colleges, Courses and Intake capacity of CAU (Data compiled from CAU and Colleges Websites) Name of the college Agriculture, Iroisemba, Imphal, Manipur Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram Fisheries, Lembucherra, Agartala, Tripura Horticulture and Forestry, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh Home Science, Tura, West Garo Hills Meghalaya Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology, Gangtok, Sikkim Postgraduate Studies, Barapani, Shillong, Meghalaya Horticulture, Bermiok, Namchi, Sikkim Horticulture, Thenzawl, Mizoram Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jalukie, Peren District., Nagaland Year of establishment Website/webpage Courses/ Intake capacity 1979 http://coa.ac.in BSc (Agriculture)/87 BTech (Food Tech)/10 MSc (Agriculture)/40 PhD/6 1997 http://www.cvsccauaizawl.edu.in BVSc. & A.H/67 MVSc/55 PhD/11 1998 http://www.cofcau.nic.in BFSc/36 MFSc/22 PhD/2 2001 http://www.chfcau.org.in BSc (Horticulture)/48 BSc (Forestry)/27 B Sc (Ag)/20 MSc (Horticulture)/8 MSc (Forestry)/2 PhD/2 2004 B.Sc.(Home Sc.)/ MSc (Home Sc.)/4 2006 http://www.caepht.ac.in BTech (Agril. Engg.)/42 BTech (Food Process Engg.)/20 MTech (Soil & Water Engg.)/3 MTech (Farm Machinery & Power Engg)/3 MTech (Food Engineering)/2 PhD/2 2007 www.cpgs.ac.in BSc (Agriculture)/20 MSc (Agriculture)/40 PhD/14 2015 BSc (Horticulture)/20 2016 BSc (Horticulture)/20 2016 BVSc. & A.H/20 65

Figure 4.2: Con (Ra 4.5 Summing Up: North East India during the number of colleges under agri agriculture based economy of established to cater to the loc tools and techniques in agricu opportunities for the local peo changing the attitude of th agricultural universities of No many graduates are becoming