Department of Agricultural Economics

Background

About the Department

The post-graduate teaching in Agricultural Economics started in the year 1962 at Ranchi Agricultural College, Kanke, Ranchi. The department started with modest number of faculty members of one Professor and one Assistant Professor. The first batch of M.Sc. (Ag) students completed their degree programme in the year 1963. After the establishment of Rajendra Agricultural University, the post-graduate teaching along with the post of Professor and research projects like Agro -Economic Research and Comprehensive Cost of Cultivation Scheme were transferred from Ranchi Agriculture College Kanke, Ranchi to Tirhut College of Agriculture (TCA), Dholi, Muzaffarpur in the year 1975. Thereafter, the Department started operating from TCA, Dholi as a constituent unit of Rajendra Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur). In the year, 1981, when the new building of the university was completed, the Department shifted from TCA, Dholi to newly built University Campus, Pusa. Since onwards, the Department has been operating from its new location and it is continuously engaged in Post-graduate and Ph.D. teaching, research and extension activities. For the first one and half decades, the Department concentrated mainly on developing and strengthening its under-graduate and post-graduate teaching programmes. The Doctoral programme was started in the year 1983, when there was good team of qualified faculty members in the Department who were specialized in the field of Production Economics, Farm Management, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Marketing, Resource Management, Agricultural Labour and Agrarian Relations.  In the meanwhile, over 200 students completed their Master’s Degree and around 25 students completed their Ph.D. programme in the Department. Apart from that the Department has been helping other Departments and faculties. Further, Rajendra Agricultural University was converted into Central Agricultural University by an ordinance of the President of India w.e.f. 7th Oct. 2016 and it was named as Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur (Bihar).

Vision:

The Department of Agricultural Economics is entrusted to provide outstanding and quality education in the field of agricultural economics, conduct policy-oriented research in areas covering agricultural and allied sectors and extend policy support to state and central government.

 Mandate:

• To provide quality teaching in Agricultural Economics for PG and Ph. D students.
• To undertake research on socio-economic issues of farmers.
• To sensitize farmers, extension officials, State Government functionaries on latest economic development and issues.

Objectives/Goals:

• To impart quality teaching in Agricultural Economics for M. Sc. and Ph.D students
• To provide practical exposure through experimental learning to the students related to market study, financial analysis, econometrics and production problems.
• To undertake strategic, applied researches and issues related to policy planning.
• To organize seminar, symposium, workshops, conferences on latest economic development and issues.

Degrees Offered

Facilities and Infrastructure

Achievements

1. Faculty Awards:
   • Young Scientist Award December 2019 to Dr. Tulika Kumari by “Agricultural and environmental technology development society”
2. Student awards/achievements:

3. Research activities:

• Comprehensive Cost of Cultivation Scheme, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India (Started in 1971)
• Contingency Adjustment of the Project “Socio- Economic Analysis of Irrigation Subsidy for Major Crops in Bihar”- University Funded Project-2025, PI- Dr. Tulika Kumari, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics.

4. Extension Activities:

Trainings organized:

• Training organized on Accountancy and Financial Management from 02.03.2016 to 09.03.2016
• Meeting cum training programme of CCC Scheme Ranchi organized on 13.09.2018
• Training organized of field functionaries of CCC Scheme from 20.01.2019 to 24.01.2019

Workshop organized:

Policy Advocacy and Dissemination workshop under social science network project “Regional Crop planning for resource use efficiency and sustainability” at RPCAU, Pusa on 25.01.2017.

Faculties