CAREER IN VETERINARY, DAIRY AND FISHERY SCIENCES

DAIRY TECHNOLOGY
India ranks second in the world in terms of milk production. Dairying plays a dynamic role in india's agro-based economy. A decade ago only 5% of the milk produced came into the dairies. Today it is 15% and this figure is continuously increasing. Dairy technology deals with all methods of handling milk from production and includes processing, packaging, storage, transport and physical distribution. Based on the sciences of biochemistry, bacteriology, and nutrition, dairy technology employs the principles of engineering. Its objectives are to prevent spoilage, improve quality, increase shelf-life, and make milk palatable and safe for human consumption.
Career prospects
The candidates to be eligible for admission to b. Tech. (dairy tech.) Degree programme should have passed the higher secondary school certificate examination or its equivalent examination in science stream with physics, chemistry and mathematics. After successful graduation students can opt for further studies and specialization in the master's degree programme there is scope for specialization in dairy microbio-logy, dairy chemistry, dairy technology, dairy engineering, animal genetics and breeding, physiology, biochemistry, dairy economics, dairy extension education, animal biotechnology and allied fields. Admission to master's degree programmes in dairying is open not just to bachelor's degree holders in dairy technology/science but is also to graduates in pure sciences/agriculture/veterinary science/animal sciences/food technology/engineering/home science.
Graduates in dairy technol-ogy/veterinary science/agriculture or any related field are also eligible to join the indian institute of management, ahmedabad and lucknow for a post-graduate programme in agri-business management. The postgraduate programme in rural management offered by the institute of rural manager (irma), which seeks to equip personnel to manage modern processing units and market consumer goods for producer cooperatives, is popular with dairy science/technology graduates.
Indicative institutions
1. Dairy technology colleges in andhra pradesh
2. Dairy technology colleges in bihar
3. Dairy technology colleges in chattisgarh
4. Dairy technology colleges in gujarat
5. Dairy technology colleges in haryana
6. Dairy technology colleges in karnataka
7. Dairy technology colleges in madhya pradesh
8. Dairy technology colleges in rajasthan
9. Dairy technology colleges in west bengal
10. Dairy technology colleges in maharashtra
Specialized training progra-mmes are available at certain institutes such as the national dairy research institute, kamal; sheth m.c. college of dairy science as well as in some of the agricultural universities. Apart from the four-year degree programme in dairy science technology, the indian dairy diploma in dairy technology/husbandry is offered as a two-year programme by the dairy science institute, mumbai and its regional centers at bangalore, nadia district (west bengal) and allahabad. Eligibility for admission is the same as for the four-year graduate programme.
Placement options for dairy graduates are very good. They are placed in milk production scheme. Dairy technologists/scientists/managers find placements in public sector organizations such as the national dairy development board (nddb), dairy cooperative societies and dairy plants manufacturing milk products in different states. There are now more than 400 dairy plants in the country making various types of milk products. They need good qualified and well trained personnel to run the plants efficiently. The dairy technologists can also undertake consultancy work. A successful consultant, however, needs several years of working experience in dairy firms to understand the nitty gritty of the work. Besides opportunities for teaching and research, dairy technologists can start their own enterprises such as small-scale milk plants, creamery, ice-cream units, dairy india.
FisheriesFisheries sector covers both capture and culture including inland and sea, aquaculture, gears, navigation, oceanography, aquarium management, breeding, processing, export and import of seafood, special products and by-products, research and related activities. Fisheries, as an emerging and rapidly growing sector, assure nutritional security and provide a cheap source of animal protein. The contribution of fisheries to the gdp is around 1.4% and gdp contribution of agriculture sector as a whole is at 4.6%. It is the primary source of protein for over one billion people in the world. Aquaculture can expand fishery development with propagation of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and plants in controlled or selected aquatic environments for any commercial, recreational, or public use and is the fastest growing agri-industry worldwide and offers great scope for increasing the productivity and economy of the country.
India is having vast and varied aquatic resources endowed with a long coastline of 8129 km, a continental shell of 0.5 million sq. Km. The exclusive economic zone (eez) of the country covers an area of 2.02 million sq. Km and a distance of 200 nautical miles from the coastline and offering richest potential, both in marine and inland sector in sustainable aquatic production. However, oceans are largely unexplored. At present, the total export value from marine sector has reached around rs. 6500 crore. Huge production, consumption and export has made this sector an important part of the indian economy.
Fishing is also the main source of income for over 100 million people who are directly involved in fishing. In india, it is estimated that around 8 million people directly or indirectly depend on the fisheries sector. India is the fourth largest producer of fish in the world. It is also the second largest producer of inland fish. Development of brackish water and freshwater aquaculture has tremendous scope in india. Out of a total area available for culture, only 30% of fresh water area and 10% of brackish water area is utilized.
Job opportunities
There are large number of opportunities in the aquaculture and marine sector to work as a marine biologist/marine scientist, fish farm hand like hatchery/farm operator, fisheries extension officer/technical officer, feed mill manager, processing and production manager, fish export inspector, export manager, r&d professional, aquaculture entrepre-neur, consultant in management of fish farms, both in private and govt. Sector, business establishments etc. At present, there is great paucity of scientifically trained, skilled manpower in the area of designing, construction, management of fish farms. This can be fulfilled with skilled farm and hatchery operator.
Every state government is having fisheries department in which fisheries graduate can apply for the post of assistant fisheries development officer (afdo)/ fisheries extension officer (feo) and district fisheries development officer (dfdo). Apart from the state fisheries department, fisheries graduate can get job in central agencies like marine product export development authority (mpeda), fisheries survey of india (fsi) etc.
In academic institutes, candidates having pg degree can apply in the saus against the advertisement of the post of assistant professor in the faculty of fisheries. For the recruitment of scientist in various agricultural and fisheries institutions under the icar, asrb conducts an all india competitive exam, agricultural research service (ars) followed by viva voce.
The candidates with academic background having b.f.sc., can apply for the post of research assistant, biochemist, biologist, technicians, etc. Candidates having postgraduate degree (m.f.sc.) Can apply for the post of assistant professor in the faculty of fisheries. For the recruitment as scientists in various agricultural and fisheries institutions under the icar, asrb conducts an all india competitive exam, agricultural research service (ars) followed by viva voce.
In corporate sector, fisheries graduates can get jobs as a banks officer, managers in agriculture loan section in nationalized as well as private banks. As an entrepre-neur, b.f.sc., candidate can start their own enterprise by seeking financial support from nabard or through other nationalized banks. The main area in which fisheries enterprise can be developed are : feed manufacturing, feed sales, ornamental fish culture and breeding, aquaculture, hatchery and seed production, commercial pearl production, fish processing and marketing, net making, fish disease diagnostic centre, consultancy services and establish-ment of agri-clinics. Private sector candidates can work as a manager or officers in seafood processing and export units, aquafeed plants, fishing gear industries and in pharmaceutical companies.
Opportunities in research and development
The emerging field of fisheries, aquaculture and aquatic sciences offers great opportunity for the researchers and scientists to undertake research in upstream areas. Molecular biology aspects can be used to identify the presence of a specific organism in a water sample through the use of molecular probes. This is very useful when the organism in question is microscopic or similar to other organisms. New molecular techniques help scientists in identifying whether or not an animal has been exposed to pollutants and, in some cases, can determine the source of those pollutants. The field of molecular biology is growing and will continue to see significant advances through applied research.
Research projects are supported through indian council of agricultural research (icar) at various research organizations and universities all over india by utilizing natural resources to improve the quality and quantity of fish production, which creates many job opportunities in the field of aquaculture and fisheries. Department of biotechnology (dbt), council of scientific and industrial research (csir) and ministry of earth sciences (mes) are promoting the research on marine sciences, through which large opportunities are existing in the field of aquaculture, marine sciences and oceanography. Huge opportunities also exist for scientists to pursue research in aquaculture and marine biotech-nology.
Qualifications
For admission to various branches of fisheries science at state agricultural universities, eligibility is to become a fisheries graduate and pass 4 year degree from fisheries colleges of state agriculture universities for admission in b.f.sc. (bachelor of fisheries science) course one can apply after 10(+)2 having pcb group. The course curriculum involves inland aquaculture, freshwater aqua-culture, mariculture, industrial fisheries, fish processing and post harvest technology, fish nutrition, pathology, environment, ecology and extension etc. Fourth year syllabus contains practical experience like on sea cruise on fishing vessels for data collection & fishing, in processing plants and on aqua farms.
After completion of b.f.sc., candidates can become m.f.sc. (masters of fisheries science). For taking admission in central institutes, one has to appear for all india level common entrance test conducted by icar, new delhi.
In advance education at the doctoral and post-doctoral level, students can develop expertise in the advanced biology of cultivable marine organisms, including a diverse range of areas in marine biotechnology like genomics, microbial biotechnology, marine natural products, coral reef ecology and geology, marine botany and marine biotechnology. The program integrates the study of a range of disciplines relevant to understanding, researching and managing the marine environment. Once the essential educational qualifications are attained, employment opportunities depend on the sector of interest.
The study of oceanography is offered at the post graduate (pg) level, where many aspects related to it are taught. The subjects available at the pg level are marine biology, zoology, geology, chemistry and physical oceano-graphy. Science graduate with the related subject background can be enrolled for the pg programmes at various universities.
Educational institutions
Different fisheries colleges under state agriculture universi-ties in india:
1. College of fisheries, shirgaon; ratnagiri-415629
2. College of fishery science, telangkhedi, nagpur-01, m.s.
3. College of fisheries, manga-lore-575002, karnataka.
4. College of fisheries, tuticorin-628008, t.n.
5. College of fisheries, panan-gad, kochi-682506, kerala.
6. College of fisheries science, pantnagar-263145, up.
7. College of fisheries science, nellore-524004, ap.
8. College of fisheries science, kulia, w.b.
9. College of fisheries, rangailuna, beharampur.
10. College of fisheries, veraval-362 001, gujarat.
11. Punjab agriculture university, ludhiana-141004.
12. College of fisheries, rangai-lunda, ouat, orissa.
13. Rajasthan agriculture university, rajasthan.
14. College of fisheries, raha, aau, assam.
15. College of fisheries, dholi, rau, bihar.
16. College of fisheries, cau, agartala, tripura.
Apart from these, institutes offering degree & higher education include icar open krishi vigyan kendras and trainers training centers at cife, cifa, ciba, cift, nbfgr, nrc, cmfri and cicfri. State government introduced fisheries as a vocational course at 10(+)2 level with active assistance from ncert in regard developing circular & books. Also some of coastal states have fisheries schools at fishermen's dominating villages.
There are many special institutions, which offer various short term courses, training in various fields such as hatchery management, fish processing and fish farm implement manufacturing. Some of the important institutes offering special training in this field are: marine products export development authority (mpeda), tasparc and ossparc prawn hatcheries in andhra pradesh and orissa, central institute of fisheries research, nautical and engi-neering training - cochin and integrated fisheries project - cochin etc.
Apart from these, fourteen fisheries colleges are offering
b.f.sc. And m.f.sc. In inland aquaculture, freshwater aqua-culture, mariculture, industrial fisheries, fish processing and post harvest technology, fish nutrition, pathology, environment, ecology and extension etc.