Prof. (Dr.) Jyoti Kachroo, Dr.Mahesh Kaul
India has travelled a long distance from the period of globalization to the present era of intensive market driven economic system based on segmented markets. These markets may seem to be unique but they are integrated; governed by geographical, climatic, cultural, economic, political and civilizational moorings. The inherent thrust in this approach is the achievement of the national resurgence. This premise has made a tremendous influence on internalizing the need for developing the infrastructure and superstructure for the business education.
Over the decades the policy of the Indian state in higher education was catalyzed by global requirements that had less thrust and focus on the Indian business and professional needs in terms of capacity building. It looked elsewhere to develop the human resource that created the business and management professionals from tax payer’s money to serve the organizational and market requirements of the producers who were not Indian or had no sensitization of the Indian markets and producers. It can be best described as the colonial hang over or residual of transition from colonial market interests to the indigenous Indian market interests.
Time has come to redesign our policy framework on business management education at the University and College level to make it compatible with national goals making India resurgent when the world has recognized its worth for economic well-being as a sustainable model of human development amid vicious challenges like COVID pandemic and economic meltdown ;when all non-Indian business management models crashed. It goes to the credit of Indian Business Management practitioners, entrepreneurs, market ideologues and researchers who have experimented with the models that keep India as the nucleus of their formulations by looking inwards and acting outwards for incisive development of the business ecosystem that values the Indian assets and posits India first as the prime objective.
It is in this context that we must see agriculture as the prime national mover shaping both the micro and macro-economic standards and leading the policy makers to translate this ground reality into policy imperative. Agriculture has made tremendous impact on socio-economic, socio-cultural, socio-political and socio-religious paradigm of nation building on the basis of Indic civilizational foundations. Not only that it has given the sense of a nation to the masses and galvanized the national resources during the freedom struggle besides creating the impetus for the mainstream business model.
It is in the context of Agri Business that we can situate the national discourse and narrative that evolved during the freedom struggle and has led to the gradual national economic and business resurgence in the present era. It prompted the core nationalist ideologues like Swatantrya Veer Vinayak Dadodhar Savarkar, Sri Aurobindo, Lok Manya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay & Dattopant Thengadi to lay the foundation of Swadeshi and Swarajin terms of rural industries, co-operatives, ethnic village festivals, agro products with sustainable agricultural eco system. It ultimately led to the national churning of consciousness to identify rural eco system;not only as a rallying point of people for socio-political activism but to make people confident with conviction that Agri Business is the cardinal principle of self-reliant India. It created the brand India that led to the emergence of sustainable international brands like Khadi and AMUL to name a few based on Agri business as the success stories in production, marketing and branding.
It is in this context that there is an urgent need for the Business Education in terms of an MBA that caters to Indic economic and market imperatives.MBA (Agri Business) is the new paradigm that factors in all the market and economic challenges of the emerging global market trends that has put India at the cusp. India is the 5th largest economy holding the presidentship of the G20 nations.It means that India has been recognized as the innovator and policy makers have to accept this leadership role with an inward focus on the business strengths. And that lies in Agri Business.
There is a reason behind this role as traditional non-Indian business models have either crashed or failed. Indispensability of India has been recognized and it must work on capacity building tobe a market game changer. It is now a well-recognized fact that India is a business leader having a capacity of producer, developer and marketer of agricultural products that influences global supply chain besides the supply and demand needs of almost all consumers. Be it daily needs food products or life style products of the elites. Indian agriculture has reached anew normal where it has crossed the production deficiency to embrace the production surplus, creating an opportunity for sustainable product diversification and innovative marketing. It include exploration of the new segments, targeting and positioning of the myriad agro based products. Besides identifying the new markets. The focus must be to shape the new curriculum in the Business Schools in Universities that must shape their research in national policy formulation in Agri Business Management.
It is an era that is demanding a paradigm shift from entrepreneurship to agriprenuership. The earlier it is accepted the best it is for the national economic and market health of India to lead the world. As the Chinese model is witnessing a repulsion in global markets due to its imperialist capitalist motives with hegemonistic thrust. That is nothing but neo imperialism meant to subvert the global business order by socio political and strategic subversion.
Jammu and Kashmir forms the bedrock of Agri Business imperatives as it is the frontline of biodiversity in the Himalayas enriching the agricultural resources that have created a niche world over. Himalayas define the civilizational and cultural ecosystem of India with its uniqueness having impact not only on the climate but the economic activities that are traditional in their origin. Farming prevalent in the Himalayan region has Vedic and pre Vedic roots that has not only developed the belief system rooted in the deities who have bearing on the diversity of the agricultural produce but are seen as the visionaries making food production and its utilization for welfare of all as the boon for making the life Divine.
Time has come to internalize this legacy in Agri Business curriculum to acknowledge the divinity inherent in agriculture and the various festivals and festivities that values farmers and Indic Agri Business imperatives in all market and business policies for integral paradigm in Agri Business Management (ABM).
As such the curriculum of MBA(Agri Business Management) has to be holistic that integrates the traditional management and market concepts with the Indic Agri Business opportunities having internalization of the market, economic, socio political and geo strategic challenges. Agriculture is not a mere production industry. It has cultural and civilizational undercurrents to uphold the national interests. Himalayas and the Himalayan states hold the key to Agri Business.
As such Jammu and Kashmir is the nucleus of Agri Business. SKUAST-Jammu has understood this national imperative and is successfully running the course of MBA (Agri Business Management) with a focus on the emerging challenges in agriculture, marketing and new business management. SKUAST Jammu has the expertise and wherewithal in terms of agricultural research, production, extension that has been recognized globally and farmers have benefited from the contribution of its scientists and academicians benchmark contributions.MBA (Agri Business Management) and PhD(Agri Business Management)has provided a new horizon to the Division of Agricultural Economics and Agri Business Management to contribute in terms of multi-disciplinary approach to lead the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and nation in giving a way forward to take Indian farmers from the phase of production and extension to sustainable Agri markets needs with a focus on proactive, inclusive and comprehensive marketing.
It is grooming the students and scholars in this new global order, where Agri Business is the Business of present and future for the sustainable national business development model. Division has gone beyond the traditional path of imparting professional education and gauged the sensitivity of the emerging markets and is nurturing the agriprenuership and startups with its Agri Incubation Centre under RKVY-RAFTAAR project of Government of India. It supports two programs; UDGAM (Agriprenuership Orientation Programme) and PRAGATI (seed stage funding) with an objective of widening the canvas of Agri Business by involving non-agricultural innovators as well, besides those involved in agriculture. It is a comprehensive initiative to develop Agri Business capacity building by breaking the traditional barriers. Time has arrived for co-creation in Agri Business to involve the stakeholders of all hues. Ranging from policymakers, researchers, academicians and industrialist in utilizing Agri Business Management as the launch pad for Resurgent India in this Amrit Kaal of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava.
(The authors are Director, Planning & Monitoring, Head, Division of Agricultural Economics &Agri Business Management, PI-RKVY, RAFTAAR Project & Assistant Professor (AE & ABM ) respectively at SKUAST, Jammu)
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