Career Opportunities in Horticulture and Floriculture

Horticulture is an aspect of agriculture that includes the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. It also covers floriculture, or the cultivation of flowers, and other agricultural practices. Over the years horticulture has grown from a kitchen-garden kind of activity into an organised area of agriculture. The increasing demand for fresh and hygienically packaged fruits and vegetables offers new challenges for those entering this field.

In the area of floriculture too, while the annual demand for flowers in the domestic market continues to grow at a rate of 20% a year, the demand in the international market is currently Rs.75,000 crores and supply is only 60% of this figure. The export potential for these products is very good and therefore the prospects for horticulture specialists are extremely bright.

With technological advancement, great emphasis is also being put on improving regular varieties of fruits and vegetables for processing purposes, creating exotic species for decorative and commercial purposes, and mass scale multiplication of species for increased productivity.

Eligibility:

The basic eligibility criterion for a B.Sc. in horticulture is 10+2 with sciences including Physics and Biology. For a M.Sc. in Horticulture, one must have a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture or a related subject. To become a horticulturist, a candidate should join the agricultural stream for a B.Sc. in agriculture or horticulture. Most colleges do not conduct a separate course for horticulture at the under-graduate level, but treat it as part of the academic curriculum of agriculture. An MSc in horticulture however, offers specialisations in floriculture, pomology (cultivation of fruits), and olericulture (cultivation of vegetables). Courses in horticulture are available at some universities, and are normally of 2-5 years duration, depending on the course. The person who need to become Horticulturist should be Patience, ability to put in long hours, often outdoors, and in varying climatic conditions, perseverance, knowledge of seasonal plants, local plants and soil etc.

Universities and Institutions offering course:

Some of the famous institutions offering courses in Horticulture are

College of Horticulture & Forestry, Solan, HP.

College of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

College of Agriculture, Pune, Maharashtra.

Faculty of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU), Coimbatore.

College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Trichur, Kerala.

Remuneration:

There are no fixed parameters about how much you can earn in this profession. For instance, if you seek employment with a nursery, the salary will depend on the location, status of the nursery, clientele and turnover. In a city like Pune, a floriculturist working with an established nursery can hope for an income of about Rs.1 lakh per year and this will grow with experience and the ability to independently handle landscaping projects. Salaries are higher with corporate that have a special landscaping department or with construction firms with several projects on board. Entrepreneurs, such as nursery owners or landscaping consultants, can hope to make good money over the years.