MANAGE and Ray Consulting join hands, signed MoU, to organise  3-day Residential AIM-EDP

Hyderabad, April 1, 2022: National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) and Ray Consulting join hands to organise AIM-EDP(Agri Inputs Marketing Executive Development Program) for three days from May 11-13, 2022.
 
The first of its kind unique program will be held at MANAGE Campus at Rajendranagar in Hyderabad for three days in May from 11 to 13th. It will be a three full-day residential program. The maximum intake for the program will be 25 to 30.
 
The collaborate program AIM-EPD program by MANAGE and Ray One Agri Consulting was formally announced and launched in a brief function held  on Friday  evening at MANAGE by Dr P. Chandra Shekara, Director General, MANAGE
 
The objective of the program is to provide quality executive education to middle and senior-level leaders from Agri Input Industry to meet the challenge of sustaining business growth and avail opportunities offered by the ever-changing business environment mainly after the COVID pandemic.
 
Addressing the gathering immediately after the launch of the brochure for the program Dr P. Chandra Shekara said MANAGE is appointed by the Ministry as the nodal agency to promote Natural Farming. Though there are no package practices readily available for natural farming, we will look at community validated practices, and screen and validate them. And we will mobilise scientific evidence and prepare the ground for natural farming to grow. He highlighted various opportunities MANAGE provides.   MANAGE has a talent pool of Agri-Business Management Alumni, Agri Trained Youth, Micro enterprises, trained input dealers and Agri StartUps. All these platforms and the talent pool are open for the industry to explore.
 
Speaking further he added that nearly 60,000 defence personnel retire from Defence Services every year from across India.  And not many get into Agriculture, though they belong to rural areas. Because they don't know it.  Spotting this gap, MANAGE made a detailed report and wrote to the Defence Ministry, the Government of India its plans to engage ex-servicemen and women in Agri Entrepreneurship Development.  MANAGE has coined the initiative as "Jai Jawan Kisan".  We can train them in Technology, Management and Entrepreneurship in Agriculture domain.  And I am pleased to share that MANAGE, an apex level autonomous institute under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India to strengthen the agricultural extension system of the country got the nod from the Ministry of Defence, Govt of India.  The Ministry has approved the proposal made by MANAGE to train retiring defence personnel in Agri Entrepreneurship Development. 
 
Dr. P. Chandra Shekara added that we do not just train ex-service men but also link them to industry experts, players who matter to them in progressing their plans.  The Ministry will recommend some of them under their resettlement plan.  And they will have to come to Hyderabad for the training.  As per the current plans, we may commence the first batch of 30 ex-servicemen from July this year.  We may organise four similar batches in a year and may train roughly about 120 ex-servicemen.  The defence personnel are the most disciplined people. Their entry into agriculture will bring some kind of discipline too, he said. 
 
MANAGE and Ray One Agri Consulting entered into an MoU to organise AIM-EDP for the executives in Agri Input Industry.  The MoU was exchanged between Dr P. Chandra Shekara, Director General of MANAGE and Raj Kumar Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Ray One Agri Consulting.  A brochure a bout AIM-EDP program was also unveiled on the occasion. The launch program held at MANAGE Premises at Rajendranagar on Friday evening.  The launch was graced by 40 industry experts, MANAGE Faculty and others.
 
Dr P. Chandra Shekara described AIP-EDP program as the need of the hour program.  It is very interesting.  It will serve the ever-growing need of the industry.  It is a great beginning he said.  MANAGE is a capacity-building organisation.  The power of capacity building for industry professionals is enormous. Because agriculture is complex and ever-changing. Agriculture is not the same as what the majority of the people in this country understand today.  It is the most sought-after program for Agri Inputs Marketing professionals he said.
 
Dr Shalendra, Deputy Director and Co-Chair of the AIP-EDP said the program is aimed at Small and Mid-sized companies. There exists a professional gap and we would like to fill in this gap, he explained.  It will be experiential learning.  The MANAGE has an excellent infrastructure. Besides, that participants will get first-hand experiential learning.  The participants will get MANAGE alumni status.
 
Learning never stops. So our tagline is "Never stop learning" said Raj Kumar Agarwal.  Agri professionals need management skills to grow, serve their organisation better and pursue a passion for agriculture.  To complement their efforts and also to bridge the knowledge gap, this industry's first initiative is being rolled out, he explained.  The participants will be prepared for the future of Global Agriculture and management.  The world-class faculty from Academia and industry will engage the participants.
 
An industry veteran Mr. Subbarao K.V, Asia Pacific Head Corteva said there was no function as marketing in agriculture 30 years back. But, things have changed now.  Along with the changing times the agri input professionals need to be groomed.