National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad

(An Organisation of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India)

No. 48
July - September 2019

Contents
Did the Lion roar?..................................3 Krishi Chanakya ‘19..............................8 Israel: An Agri-innovative Nation.........16
Summer Internship Diaries....................4 Spice Poll: U.S.- China Trade Wars....10 Evidence based inputs in Agriculture..18
Godrej LOUD on Campus.....................6 Samanvay Guest Lectures..................12 Talent Hub: 2019-21 Batch..................19
Life at MANAGE....................................7 ALUMNI SPEAK..................................14

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PGDM(ABM)

“Through my education, I didn’t just

develop skills, I didn’t just develop
the ability to learn, but I developed
confidence.”
- Michelle Obama

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PGDM(ABM)

DID THE LION ROAR?

ake in India is a flagship initiative launched
M in 2014 to raise the manufacturing sector’s
share in domestic output and employment, and
to enhance national technological capabilities to
counter growing import dependence. It consists
of sectors such as mining, textiles, leather,
aviation, automobiles, food processing and investments in this sector have led to high
other manufacturing sectors. India is the fastest demand for more qualified people and hence
growing economy in the world and the largest helped in providing employment opportunities to
producer of several agricultural commodities. the unemployed.
There are around 1.2 billion consumers with Inspite of all the achievements of Make in India,
increasing demand for branded food. It is also the real question arises “Whether this is enough
the 4th largest economy in terms of purchasing for the growing population of the country and
power parity. Proactive government policies apart from this development, What it brought
with attractive fiscal incentives of our country into the country?” India’s natural comparative
are like cherries on cake. Rich demographic advantage lies in using its unskilled labour.
dividend with high focus on skill development, Indian manufacturing as well as services are
availability of skilled personnel are opportunities skill-intensive, which leaves unskilled masses
for investors across the food processing supply short of decent jobs. Agriculture, the backbone
chain in all the fields such as dairy, fruits and of Indian economy is not considered as a sector
vegetables etc. Apart from these, 100% FDI is in the project. The nation’s manufacturing
permitted under the automatic route in the Food landscape is dominated by a multitude of small
and Processing industry in India. 100% FDI is companies, which account for more than three-
allowed through government approval route for quarters of industrial employment which is not
trading, including through e-commerce in respect considered during the implementation of the
of food products manufactured or produced in program.
India but were the opportunities grabbed well?
Land, labour, electricity, technology, transport,
India is the largest producer of milk and cost of capital, cost of borrowing, and many
second largest producer of a variety of fruits others are factor costs. Unless some or all
and vegetables in the world. However, food is factor costs are favourable, no one will embark
being wasted at the harvest point and during upon manufacturing. The major manufacturing
transportation. India witnesses nearly 4.6 - 15.9 economies of the world have reached their
% wastage in fruits and vegetables annually, due positions by making factor costs more
to lack of modern harvesting technologies and advantageous if the product were made in their
cold chain infrastructure. To tackle this situation countries rather than made elsewhere. This is
with the concept of Make in India, 296 cold chain one of the reasons why the Make in India is not
projects were approved as on May 2019 not only so successful. Unfortunately, it appears that
for dairy and fruits but also for seafood. Forty there was a little homework done before and
two mega food parks were established with USD practically no policy support after. ‘Make in India’
2.38 billion investment. The number of registered has turned into a hollow slogan.
food processing units has increased from 38,608
in 2014-15 to 39,748 in 2016-17. There were by
investors from USA, UK, Japan, Italy, Germany, Chilaka Harshitha Saranya
Canada, France and Switzerland. Increasing PGDM (ABM) 2019-21

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PGDM(ABM)

Summer Internship Diaries

Summer Company: PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd.
“Just after landing at my project location I headed towards the hotel
where the team I was going to work with, was preparing for the monthly
plan meeting. It was a team of consultants having expertise in different
areas which were components of the project I was part of. My firm
was a Technical Support Agency (TSA) for the client. The client was
the state government working on a World Bank-funded project, for
development of livelihood for farmers.
In the following days, I surveyed many districts across the state as part
of my primary research. The area I was covering also included part
of the Naxal belt of the country. Interacting with the people affected
Sameer Pandey
directly gave me unique insights, as so far my knowledge of it was
based on newspapers only. The field visits helped me understand the
dynamics of the farmer community, the disparity in terms of land size and geographical disparity
in terms of resources.
During my visits to the rural heartland for conducting the primary research, the hospitality of the
villagers was something which touched my heart. Also, the impact of so many years of work by
the government for women empowerment was quite visible. Most of the insights for my survey
were given by the young educated women in the community.
I kept on alternating between the field and the office. The office was meant for secondary research
and brainstorming on developing our project. Our team occasionally ended the day with a cup of
coffee, which was a learning opportunity for me. I understood the business environment, work-life
and the dynamics of consulting in the development sector, directly from the experts.
A consultancy firm is an excellent place where you get an opportunity to work with experts from
diverse fields. The internship helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses by working under
stressful timeline. It gave me a glimpse into the life of a consultant.”

Summer Company: Britannia Industries Ltd.

“My 2-month journey at Britannia Industries Limited, one of India’s
leading food company with a 100-year legacy is truly an enriching
experience. It started with a one-week induction regarding various
wings in the firm like Sales, Marketing, Replenishment, Legal, Human
relations etc and visit to the factories. Working as a Purchase intern at
BIL empowered my understanding about how the minute fluctuations
in prices of Raw Materials can impact the cost savings of the firm owing
to its large quantitative requirements. My project was to map various
wheat varieties Pan-India to suit differentiated maida requirements
Akshara Mallela for various new products at BIL and to design an effective sourcing
method for the same. My project gave me an opportunity to interact
with millers, traders, various agriculture research institutes in various parts of the country and to
understand the nuances in milling, to know how milling practices could effect the quality of Maida,
Price and quality fluctuations of wheat from one region to the other. It gave me a holistic idea
regarding Wheat in the country and how policy changes and regulations can impact the entire
Purchase Scenario. Everything at the firm right from numerous meetings, constantly buzzing
mobiles, lots of coffee, people putting in long work hours gave me a peek into the corporate
life and what my life is going to look like in the future. It taught me how an eye for detail is very
important for a Purchase Manager. Thanks to Britannia for this wonderful opportunity.”

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Summer Internship Diaries

Summer Company: Yes Bank Ltd.
“It was a dream come true to work with the finest corporate bank. I got
a glimpse into corporate culture even before entering the work place
because of a detailed mail sent by YES Bank regarding etiquettes to
be followed. I spent one week before internship preparing about the
banking sector. When the day when the day arrived, I entered the
office with enthusiasm to learn and give my best and the environment
at the work place encouraged me more to do so... My project was
on “Assessment of borrowers through Cash surrogate method and Akshay Kailas Pagar
comparative analysis of individual loan proposition by major players”.
I started off my project by reading literature regarding my project topics. As a part of project, I got
an opportunity to interact with the people working in other banks, with different stakeholders and
partners in the process of lending to explore the on-field practices regarding sourcing, assessment
and approval of the application for loan. I got to see how policy formation takes place regarding
products of banks and got very valuable insights regarding retail banking related to group and
individual loans. I was also involved in real assessment of the borrowers of group and individual
loans. With the support of staff at YES bank and my guide in particular I completed my project
on a very positive note with very encouraging reviews. To sum it up, if I have to put my internship
experience in one word-Amazing!”

Summer Company: FMC India Pvt. Ltd.

“My step towards corporate world started with FMC India Private
Limited. My project on “Competitive Benchmarking of Demand
Generation Activities” provided me an opportunity to explore the
marketing aspects of the Agri Input Industry. The guidance of the
industry experts and our alumni helped me to reflect my theoretical
cognition on the real life scenario prevailing in the industry. The primary
objective of the project was to analyze the marketing efficiency of FMC
India Private Limited vis a vis its direct competitors in seven states
and map the value chain of Paddy, Soya bean and Sugarcane with the
pesticide purchase decision influencers at various stages. The major
Vasunthra S. stakeholders of my project were dealers, distributors and farmers.
My journey across various markets provided me insights about how
a firm influences farmers pesticide purchase decision. To be specific about FMC India Private
Limited, their major focus is on influencing the farmers by communicating the value delivered
rather than providing high trade incentives. Firms reach farmers by organizing Demonstrations,
Field Day, Harvest Day, Field On Wheels, Organized Farmer meetings, Group meetings, Small
and Large Farmer Meeting, Testimonials and regular follow ups. Various firms persuade the
influencers of farmer’s pesticide purchase decision like Private Consultants, Sugar Factories and
Co-operative Societies through region specific meetings and training programs. My experience
as a summer intern with one of the industry giant made be realize the vitality of field level insights
in management level decision making. Overall my learnings are an essence of Corporate world
and Field Level marketing dynamics.”

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PGDM(ABM)

ON CAMPUS

T he academic session of 2019-20 started off

on a joyous note as ‘Godrej on Campus’,
included MANAGE in the coveted list of colleges
eligible for LOUD. 2nd of August was decided as
the date for campus visit by the company team
to launch the said program. The days following
this announcement were spent in drawing up the
common line of action for the day; the students
of first year also began preparing their dream
articles.
When the day finally arrived the campus was abuzz fact that correct answers gave us a chance to
with students rushing to get the preparations done. pick up a goodie made it more engaging. This
Not just the Samanvaya Hall but also the whole
was followed by an interaction with Mr. Anil who
campus was decorated in the colour of Godrej.
being a post graduate in Agriculture explained
The team comprising of Mr Ritesh Bhardwaj
how he had to unlearn to learn the depths
(Deputy General Manager HR), Mr Anil Gupta
(Associate VP-Marketing), Miss Sandhini of agri-business industries. His experience
Nagvekar(Corporate Manager-HR) and Miss with various roles and organisations made us
Divya Jha( Lead Diversity and Inclusion); was understand how wisely he chose his career
as pumped up as we were, to interact. Post their path. Following this Mr. Ritesh Bhardwaj, who
arrival they were welcomed with an energetic made a successful career for himself in spite
cultural performance which was immensely of multiple odds, spoke about his passion for
appreciated by them. art, cycling, reading, meditating and bike riding
at great lengths. He too explained the reason
behind his switching jobs as, stagnation in what
he was already doing.
Next, Miss Sandhini, showed us around the
website for LOUD and also explained what
they were actually looking for in the LOUD
applications. She tried to make us understand
what differentiated a winning application from
the others. The students were then encouraged
to put forth any question they were inquisitive
The Godrej Goodies which the team had about. Ranging from the queries regarding the
brought along for the students were neatly LOUD form to the CSR activities of Godrej,
stacked in one corner while the placards in the many questions were answered by the team.
hands of the students reminded us about the
The opportunity to have Godrej on campus,
excitement which was to follow. The interactive
session started off with the ice breaking session was indeed very important for us, as it gave us
as Miss Sandhini put forth some questions for an exposure to the corporate world. Motivated
us students, regarding the history of Godrej. by the visit of the team, the students seemed
For this purpose two volunteers were asked to more eager to give the final shape to their LOUD
come forth. It was a very exciting round and the applications and wings to their dreams.

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PGDM(ABM)

Life at MANAGE
sense a feeling of affinity and the love of motherhood
M ANAGE, a wonderful learning abode, adorned
with nature’s touch feels like home. Inside
the wide green campus, the grey buildings stand
in it. The gate welcomed me to real life and I saw
the Gandhi statue which stood as an embodiment of
shimmering in hot summers and chilling winter peace, piety, and prosperity.
evenings, like a star shining in the night sky. The by
peacock’s call can melt anyone like the rain of
Neeraj Yadav
happiness is about to come. Standing in the middle of
PGDM (ABM) 2019-21
campus and taking a glimpse of it, feels no less than
a passionate admiration of our beliefs with which we
hirst for knowledge, hanker for proficiency, and
came here.
Life at MANAGE is defined by the facilities and the
T lust for being professional is edged here! Greeted
by the ambiance, received by infrastructure, taken
infrastructure provided here. It is not the monotonous in by mastery, there sits the Nobleman majestically
activities here every day but the essence that the at the entrance, enlightening and reminding souls to
place gives with the absolute flavours of life with keep the legacy of MANAGE fly higher.
learning and experience. A universe in itself, people
Getting selected unexpectedly after the end of the
from different academic and cultural background
second waitlist, I was quite excited to breathe a blend
converging from different geographical locations, feels
like it is the perfect blend necessary to understand of languages and cultures that reflected from names
the broader perspective with which students should of people to their outfits. Being her little princess,
step out of the Institute as managers. showing adieu to mom was very hard, and pearls
rolled down my cheeks. Then I made up my mind
Years of learning experiences in several minds and
that I am here to be an independent Queen. With
the achievement of people in such a short span of life
overflowing excitement to meet new friends who have
sounds astounding. The long-standing bulky building
traveled all over India to reach their destiny, I started
and marvellous infrastructure is the silhouette of the
my journey. We were made to intermingle with the
miracles performed by our alumni in the corporate
opposite gender, and being somewhere between an
world. Many of these exemplary and outstanding
introvert and extrovert, initially, I felt uneasy but that
personalities have visited here in the past 20 days
since we have been here, and the only thing that did build up my confidence to overcome language
brought them here out of their busy life is the shape barriers.
this campus has given them during their wonderful We were wet-nursed by alumnus with their rich
life at MANAGE. Their never quenching thirst of experiences in the corporate field from different
giving back what this campus has given them always sectors, groomed by seniors and educated by other
motivates us to keep our spirit of surfing against the faculties. I also feared that regular food fest; sitting
tides alive. for long hours in an air-conditioned classroom might
Whenever any faculty enters our class, they keep make me lazy. Exploring Hyderabad by an official trip
reminding us that things would never be the same and to Birla mandir, Hussain Sagar Lake and Inorbit mall
the miraculous transformation that would be coming added flavors to my admission here.
into us, in these years, would be a life-changing I feel MANAGE is a home of professional busy bees,
experience. Their eyes are full of hope saying that building their own empire of great hives that no one
‘no matter what, your ideas can change the world’. dares to touch. People here are not just gamers; but
This is only a fraction of the hard work our seniors game-changers driving their selves towards victory.
put to keep us on right track as this a student-driven A place where everyone feels too early to sleep by 2
program and they want to bring the best out of us a.m. and too late to wake up by 6 am in the morning,
like the diamonds that need to be polished. There is charging us to being busy & productive, sometimes
a long and hard way to go but a million dreams are the irresistible insane feel of running out from here
keeping us awake. does pop up in my mind that loses its battle when I
It was a pleasant Hyderabadi afternoon of 16th June think about my dreams and responsibilities. For sure,
2019 that I stepped into this Pearl City with a belief MANAGE is a place to grow.
that it’s going to be my Dreamland where I am going by
to find my treasure. I recollected my aspiration to
convert MANAGE and a sense of pride glimpsed in Raghavi MD
my eyes. The moment I entered MANAGE I could PGDM (ABM) 2019-21

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PGDM(ABM)

Krishi Chanakya ‘19

rishi Chanakya, the flagship event of

K MANAGE was held on 16th and 17th of
August, 2019. The fest aimed at revolutionizing
the presence of panel members consisting Mr. A
Praveen Reddy (President - MULKANOOR CO-
OPERATIVE Rural Bank & Marketing Society
Agribusiness is hosted by the best sectorial Ltd; Ex. MLA – Husnabad), Mr. N V Ramana
B-school annually, in order to promote (Advisor, Samunnati Financial Intermediation
managerial and entrepreneurship skills among and Services; Ex. Chairman – Agriwatch), Mr.
the students of various participating B-schools, Sankar Datta(Visiting Professor at IIMA and
breeding an attitude of competition in them. IRMA; Founding member PRADAN and Indian
Grameen Services; Ex. Director – BASIX), Dr. G
Nine Events were conducted including seven
V Ramanjaneyulu (Executive Director - Center
different competitions namely Khoj (A social
for Sustainable Agriculture), Mr. P G Ganesh
idea), Dhurina (The Best Manager), Akanksha
(Business Consultant - Samunnati Financial
(The B-plan), Arthacharya (A Business Idea),
Intermediation and Services; Ex. Senior Director
Vishleshan (A Financial Model), Dattansh (Data
- Rabobank India).
Analytics), Sushodh (Case Study competition)
and a Human Resource Workshop by esteemed The B-fest was made possible by our Signature
Mr. Pradeep Kumar, Vice President–HR, Sponsor - Coromandel International Ltd.,
Coromandel International Limited. Associate Sponsor - Rasi Seeds Pvt. Ltd,
Event Sponsor - Seedworks International Pvt.
The main attraction of Krishi Chanakya 2019
Ltd. along with our patron sponsors Samunnati
was Shikhar: Agri-Summit, coordinated by
Financial Intermediation and Services Pvt. Ltd.,
Samunnati Financial Intermediation and
ADAMA India Pvt. Ltd., Trouw Nutrition India
Services Pvt. Ltd., on “Small holders and farmer
Pvt. Ltd. and Premier Irrigation ADRITEC Pvt.
collectives (FPOs) as vehicles for sustainable
Ltd.
growth of Indian agriculture” and was graced by

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Krishi Chanakya 2019 reached a new peak with

3070 participants from 132 B-schools of India
including XLRI, MDI, SIBM, NMIMS, IRMA, IMT,
NAARM and CCS-NIAM making their way to the
final campus rounds of diverse competitions.
MANAGE could hardly contain the excitement
of hosting the 82 finalists. Apart from the main
theme focusing on Agribusiness, a variety of
parallel events like Photofrolic and on-spot
games (which were conducted by Finance &
Marketing Club, MANAGE) were also organized
to enrich the mood of an actively participating
bunch of students from across the country.

“Practice Golden Rule Management

In Everything You Do. Manage Others
The Way You Would Like To Be Managed.’’
- Anonymous

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PGDM(ABM)

Spice Poll:
U.S.- China Trade Wars - Implications for India

‘ GLOBAL EQUITY INVESTORS UNNERVED

BY RE-ESCALATION OF US-CHINA TRADE
TENSIONS’
Amid concerns over the global trade war, key
indices in the Indian share market dropped due
to the cautious approach of the investors. During
The US and China’s escalation of trade tariffs this period, the BSE Sensex saw regular plunges
is expected to hit growth in both countries in in points. NSE Nifty’s performance too was along
2019, when the boost from President Trump’s the same lines as it also saw significant drops.
sweeping tax cuts will also start to wane. Mr As of now, the Sensex is trading at about 37,521
Obstfeld said the world would become a “poorer (at the time of publication), which is still below
and more dangerous place” unless world leaders the average.
worked together to raise living standards, As the United States of America imposed duties
improve education and reduce inequality. on steel and aluminum, India now has to pay
In the last one month, the value of the rupee has approximately $241 million worth of tax to the
dropped to an all-time low, hovering around the US. India, on the other hand, as a counter-
mid 68s against the US dollar. This coincided measure has proposed imposing duties on 30
with Donald Trump’s threat of imposing a fresh different types of goods. This will ensure that the
round of tariffs on exports worth $200 billion. This US has to pay about $238 million as duties to
trend can be traced to the weakening of the US India. However, this will make life more difficult
dollar, which automatically creates a negative for the end consumers as everything that falls
impact on the trade deficit of India, causing a under the tariff scanner is expected to become
chain reaction of sorts. more expensive.

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PGDM(ABM)

This poll was conducted among students of PGDM (ABM) batches of

2018-20 & 2019-21. The result published is the outcome of said poll.
1. China halting US agricultural purchases would provide no solution to
the trade wars. What is your opinion?

2. Several people have talked about the possibility of India benefiting

through increasing exports to the US and shift of FDI to India. According
to you, which among these is going to be most benefited in India?

3. The recent escalation in the US-China trade war has brought forward
the next US recession as being perceived by the economists of Reuters.
What implications shall it have on India?

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PGDM(ABM)

Samanvay Guest Lecture:

Mr. Avinash Desamangalam
were compared with examples of countries
like South Africa, Vietnam, Kenya and GCC
stressing on importance of organic farming and
its growing usage. In a detailed deliberation on
Organic Agriculture, the business generated
from bio fertilizers was tagged as higher than
normal fertilizers. An emerging potential market
in India for Quinoa seeds in Rajasthan, flax and
pumpkin seeds due to changing dietary habits
was noted. He also talked about cannabis and
its scope of business in India as an effective
addition to animal feed.
Moreover, the Indian Agricultural Machinery

O n 28th July 2019, the Samanvay Hall

in MANAGE which has always been an
evidence of freshers being incepted about the
Industry and its growing prospects were
highlighted in relation to increased tractor
sales defining rural economy. Animal nutrition,
Corporate Scenario, witnessed yet another Guest
Development sector, Block chain Management
lecture Series by our very own MANAGEite, Mr.
were some of the other topics that were
Avinash Desamanagalam, who is working as
discussed about. In an interactive session after
the Research Manager (Agriculture, Food and
the lecture, students raised various questions on
beverages) in Mordor Intelligence, a leading
the prevailing agriculture scenario and how to
market Research Consultancy. The maiden
tackle trade deficits in India, whether education
guest lecture for the 2019-21 batch, was
is becoming a hurdle in way of imparting
organized to provide an insight on ‘Global and
Technological Innovations in agriculture, Food
Indian trends affecting the Agricultural Scenario’.
Processing industry and its growing prospects in
The lecture commenced with a crowd the overall development of the country, Lifestyle
of enthusiastic students applauding Mr. acting as an obstacle in way of adopting varied
Desamanagalam as the welcome address was agricultural practices and crops in India, etc.
delivered. Mr. Desamanagalam, who belongs to
While he called upon the students to be more
the batch of 2008-2010 of MANAGE, has been
vigilant of developing their knowledge than
a part of companies like MONSANTO India
profit, he also added that experimenting in
Ltd., MITRA, Synergy Technofin Pvt. Ltd. and
every sector to learn and grab any available
MART, performing diverse roles throughout his
opportunities remains beneficial in the long run.
career. He started his address by explaining the
A wonderful session inducting the fresh minds
necessity of persistence for a MANAGEite.
into the realities of Agribusiness corporate
The guest lecture was successful in touching scenario on lines of an ever changing Global
aspects regarding various sectors of and Indian agricultural trends, came to an end
agribusiness, and how the changes in Global with a vote of thanks. It goes without saying
Agribusiness are affecting the scenario in India. that the guest lectures play a significant role in
An insight about the Domino effect regarding development of informed managers, and Mr.
Lehman Brothers and thus, Agricultural Avinash Desamanagalam gave an apt start to
Scenario in emerging and advanced markets the series.

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Samanvay Guest Lecture:

Mr. Unnikrishnan Vijayan

W ith a fresh wave of

energy sweeping off the
day’s dullness, the walls of
Samanvay Hall vibrated with
applause as Mr. Unnikrishnan
Vijayan, the Senior Purchase
Manager at Britannia Industries
Limited, stepped on the dais
for yet another one of the much
awaited Guest Lectures. The
topic of Lecture was “Domestic
and International Sourcing of
Agricultural Commodities”, from
the lecturer, with an experience
of over 14 years in the area
of Procurement and Inbound
supply chain management in
FMCG sector. In the interrogation round following the lecture,
Our very own MANAGEite, Mr. Unnikrishnan was various questions relating to the concerned
a part of the class of 2003-2005, following which sector as well as the food industry were raised.
he joined ITC Ltd. as the Assignment Manager Importance of pricing and quality in procurement,
in the Food Business Division. He also worked timing of taking calls and decisions by a company,
with Perfetti Van Melle before finally joining seasonality of demand and its effect on sourcing,
Britannia in Commodity Market Research. short selling and commitment upfront, etc. were
The lecture commenced with Mr. Unnikrishnan few of the queries that were countered.
speaking about the importance of Cost, Sales
In an informative session, students gained an
and Profit, following a general introduction
insight about existing Commodity Market in
of Commodities, Procurement and Sourcing,
Global and Domestic situation through real-
adding about Global and Local Trade scenarios.
life experiences shared by Mr. Unnikrishnan
He spoke about MSP, import parity, fair average
such as the Sugar Crisis in 2007. He even
quality and glitches of storage and warehousing.
shared his experiences in Perfetti and Britannia,
Following this, he explained how external
explaining about his roles and responsibilities,
factors pertaining to environment, technology
thus motivating a crowd of anxious students
and Government Policy changes (e.g. Essential
into believing in a competitive and growing
Commodity Act) and seasonality affect an
career in the commodity & logistics as well as
organisation’s internal decisions and margins.
procurement sector.
He also talked about Absolute Buying Efficiency
and Mark to Market, forward deliveries and The lecture concluded with the Vote of Thanks
parity from sources, bench marked prices of and a better informed and motivated crowd
commodities, spot prices as well as future prices. cheering as Mr. Unnikrishnan left for the day.

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ALUMNI SPEAK
Interview with Mr. Somnath Bera
(Director and Country Manager, Seaboard Special Crops India Pvt Ltd.)
Seaboard Corporation is a Fortune 500 Public Ltd company with its HQ in the USA.
1. What is MANAGE to you?
A beautiful campus that contributes a lot
to our nation-building and an institute
where every PGDM student gets the best
opportunity to transform herself/himself
into a good agribusiness professional and
a better human being within a span of 21
months.
2. How do you succeed in creating
harmony between your work and
personal life amidst the hectic corporate
schedule?
By following a proper and organized routine.
My office hours are 12 noon till 9 pm, five
days a week. So, every weekday till noon, I
am 100% with my family and I make sure that
I leave my office by 9 pm. I experienced and
learnt this personal and work-life balance level. How do you monitor the market in
when I worked for two years at my company such detail and take the most strategic
HQ in the USA. People there maintain a decisions for the company?
very strict demarcation between personal I keep my eyes and ears open to every
hours and work hours, which is logical and possible conversation (both physical and
the way it should be. Before noon, I take an electronic), happening around me and
hour out to exercise to exercise which is very I continuously try to learn from those
important to maintain good physical and conversations. Technology has made the
mental health. I do not carry any any work availability of information very easy but
home. As I am into global physical trade (not filtering that heavy inflow of information
terminal trade) of commodities and work and extracting what is useful information
with different time zones, sometimes I need is the key. Depending on the need, I have
to dedicate 15-20 minutes to my work after daily as well as periodic conversations
office hours but that is seldom. Nowadays, with people who are associated with this
for most of the office goers, travel stress is global commodity trade industry and then I
probably the biggest stress. If you can cut convert the collected data into information
it down to the maximum extent, you have and use that information to make decisions.
achieved something precious. So far, I have Yes, a hawk-eye view is definitely required
been lucky to be able to stay very close to to keep myself and my team up to date
my office and therefore, have been able to with the market dynamics, globally.
cut that travel stress to zero. That gives me 4. No farmer is fair enough to conduct
a better balance. trade in the country. This is a policy
3. Being the country level manager, a paralysis and a big lacuna where
hawk-eye has to be kept on the market the needy is ignorant or never gets a
dynamics happening even at the minute chance to trade. Can there be a new

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model of trading where the small and and Argentina are gaining big time as they
marginal farmers would get benefitted? are now supplying Soya to China.
I would say that the scenario is changing (2) China used to import big volumes
and it’s changing fast. The Govt. as well of Canola/Rapeseed from Canada for
as various corporates are working in crushing. Due to the trade war between
their respective capacities to make the them, China is now thinking of importing
supply chain more efficient and thus, Rapeseed from India which they were not
more valuable in which the farmer is a key doing for the past many years.
participant. I think the farmers are better 6. Your advice to take MANAGE’s glory
informed nowadays and are aware of the and legacy to the manifold.
different platforms (physical platforms as
MANAGE has served as both a witness
well as some electronic ones) where they
to and a participant in the reform and
can buy inputs, services and sell their
opening up of our nation’s agriculture
produce. The farmer also understands the
sector. Being a nodal organization in
additional value which these more efficient
imparting Agri related training, contributing
and transparent platforms offer to them.
to the National Agriculture Policy and by
The farmer base, however, is so big that
all these efficiencies will take time to reach successfully running a full-time PGDM
each farmer, but I am sure, thousands of course, MANAGE has not only contributed
farmers are getting smarter each day. I to nation-building but also benefited from
know a lot of cases where the farmers have this process. MANAGE has played and
not only become traders but even became will keep on playing multiple roles in the
exporters. As trading is a very dynamic development of the nation: as a witness, a
thing and involves various risks, one can participant, a contributor, and a beneficiary.
gain or lose (small to big). The amount Going forward, MANAGE will be a
of trading knowledge trading knowledge more important player but its role would
and risk-taking ability a farmer has is very probably remain the same: nurturing
important. Knowledge can mitigate some talent, fostering research and innovation
risk. Our farmers are definitely getting as well as knowledge transfer to
smarter. strengthen the Agri sector in improving the
5. What is the future of the trading sector of country’s food grain production, improving
the country according to you, taking into the Agri infrastructure, Agri knowledge
account the friction happening between transfer, improving the standard of living
the big shot markets of the globe? of the farmers, training and nurturing
Trade of commodities will always be very Agribusiness professional and producing
active but yes, it will become more and Agripreneurs. MANAGE has a major
more technology-driven. Use of Artificial contribution to the proper channelization
Intelligence (AI), the use of smart-contracts of all these efforts of the Govt.
under Blockchain Technology and many To all the PGDM students and the Alumni,
more such technology-driven concepts we being the mobile brand ambassadors
will emerge which would aim towards of MANAGE and now with a global
streamlining the trade and improve the physical presence, we have to keep up
trade efficiency. In this massive world of the good work which we are doing and
trade of Agri commodities with the trade most importantly stay connected with
war between two big countries, one each other so that we keep sharing the
country’s loss is another country’s gain. good work, enhance our knowledge and
e.g.; (1) China used to import big volumes sound smarter. All of these would be the
of Soya from the USA. Due to the trade key factors in taking the institute’s glory to
war between the USA and China, Brazil greater heights.

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Israel: An Agri-innovative Nation

Despite the fact that the geography of Israel is
I srael a country known for its rich culture and
history, clean and beautiful infrastructure with
many places of sacred and historic importance.
not naturally suited for agriculture as most of the
area is desert area with acute water shortage
It leads in providing new innovations and and high temperature arid conditions, Still, Israel
technologies which are used by people around has emerged as one of the major leaders in
the world to enhance their life and also create agricultural technology.
global sustainability. These technologies Israel has travelled very fast in making itself
help us save, produce and treat water, utilize independent in terms of food security. Today,
revolutionary ways of saving resources and Israel is self-sufficient in agriculture. It produces
generating energy and enable more advanced around 90% of its own food requirement and
and more efficient eco-friendly agriculture and also feeds several parts of the world. It is also
waste water treatments. a major exporter of fresh produce in the world.

Agriculture is not an age old concept of Israel India being a developing country can benefit a
but was developed after second world war. lot from Israel. Israel is a small country and can
transfer its technology to India which is a quite
When Israel was established in 1948 only 20%
big country and can greatly benefit from Israeli
of the total land in the country was arable which
agricultural technology.
has now tripled increasing the production by
16 times. Presently, around 17% of the total What can we learn from Israel?
agricultural budget is used for research and • Dairy farm management -Israel has
development. developed temperature control systems

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for dairy farms to maintain the temperature • Precision agriculture: It can be defined as
which in turn increases the welfare and Provision of technology. of technology to map
productivity of the cows. Also, profits in and analyse crops and accurately observe
the dairy sector have gone up due to the and measure all the parameters necessary
development of advanced systems for for the growth and ideal habitat of the crop
breeding, herd management, and robotic while maximizing resource utilization. Use of
milking systems. artificial intelligence for satellite imagery and
past data records to predict and forecast
• Technology for farming in challenging
the yield and help farmers make the best
environmental conditions: Israelis have
decision so as to increase the output and
developed advanced technologies for
earn more profits. The farmers are directed
increasing water use efficiency, climate
to apply pesticides and weedicides only on
control systems for monitoring and control of
those areas where they are required and not
temperature and humidity in greenhouses.
the entire field.
As more than half of the country is desert,
over the years extensive research has led to • Efficient Post-harvest management process:
the development of technologies which help During the post-harvest period the fruit
in producing quality product even in adverse quality may degrade which causes major
climatic conditions. losses. Methods have been developed to
extend the shelf life of fruits without affecting
• Leading pioneer in water and irrigation
the taste and other quality and nutritional
technologies: The concept of Drip irrigation
parameters of the fruit.
was developed in Israel. It is a system which
provides water directly to the plant roots
Source:
which increases water use efficiency and
https://agfundernews.com/israels-agritech-market-
crop yield. Israel recycles more than 86% of
map-400-startups-putting-the-tech-in-agritech.html
its waste water. It has developed techniques
for water purification, recycling and by
treatment of water and use of this treated Kanupriya
water for irrigation and other purposes. PGDM (ABM) 2019-21

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s

quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are
thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at
all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from
it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Be-
cause remember that’s where you will find success.’’
- Thomas J. Watson, 2nd President of IBM,
political figure, and philanthropist

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The Potential of evidence based

recommendations in Agriculture
O ver the last three decades ,China has
extensively increased its agricultural
production to feed its population,which is
the largest in the world. But this increased
production has also lead to excessive use of
fertilisers, acidification of soil and increased
levels of pollution.

Researchers at the China Agricultural University

decided to address these concerns without
reducing the yield of farmers.The researchers
preferred methods tailored for specific crops,
regions, and weather conditions over ‘one-size-
fits-all farming’ .The team conducted 13,123
field test in the decade long period from 2005 team. This lead to an increase in crop productivity
to 2015. Through the tests they were able to of rice,corn and wheat by 10 % and decreased
determine how yields varied with different crop the use of fertilisers by 15%.
varieties, planting times, planting densities, This study amazed researchers worldwide due
fertilizer, climate and water use. to its huge scale.The study’s success can be
Using results from the field tests, the researchers attributed to the several outreach programs
developed evidence based advice which was and workshops conducted by more than 1000
further tailored to suit their local conditions. One researchers along with 65,000 bureaucrats and
such advice was to focus on fertilising efforts technicians at provincial or county agricultural
during a particular season rather than spreading agencies and nearly 140,000 representatives
it out evenly throughout the year. This simple from agriculture businesses.
advice reduced the average usage of Nitrogen The study is estimated to have cost $54 million
based fertilisers by 20% in the particular area. but it has already saved the Chinese farmers
During the period of the study nearly 21 million nearly $12.2 billion by reducing the usage of
farmers adopted the recommendations of the nitrogen based fertilisers by 1.2 million tonnes.

Source:
1.https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-
02792-7
2.https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/1228061/
chinas-agricultural-miracle-that-could-feed-the-
planet-without-destroying-it/amp/

by
Balaji Sridharan
PGDM (ABM) 2019-21

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Talent Hub: 2019-21 Batch

BALLA RACHANA
Completing her B.Sc. Agriculture from
Agricultural College Bapatla, Acharya Naikula
Gogineni Ranga Agricultural University, Ms.
Rachana believes that MBA was the only way
she could do justice to her passions. An ardent
learner of words, Rachana has a collection of
words which, if published, would make another
‘Word Power Made Easy’ book. A trained
Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer over a
period of 7 years, she has won many awards
for her finest performances. While painting and
sketching make her find peace in chaos, they
also have won her a position in the Media Cell
MANAGE, the club that is the face of MANAGE.
An efficient speaker, and an ardent dreamer,
Rachana wishes to put her passions into the
service of others, and that, she believes would
help her learn further.

C.A. HUBAIB HASSAN

Hailing from the Venice of India, Alappey
district of Kerala, Mr. C.A. Hubaib Hassan has
completed B.Sc. Agriculture from College of
Horticulture, Thrissur. A prodigy as he must
be described, Hubaib is extremely passionate
about Quizzes. And no wonder, that has helped
him gain a significant identity among all others
here, a participant in many national and regional
quizzes with his best achievement his best
achievement being - winner of the All India Agri
Unifest Quiz conducted in the year 2018. Apart
from this Hubaib is an efficient dancer and this
talent of his has not only been appreciated by
others, but has brought fame to his university
and now MANAGE. He is also a theatre artist
and has won various awards and accolades in
drama, mimes and skit competitions. A humble
introvert, yet a passionate dreamer, Hubaib
aspires to own a website offering Quizzing
coaching and training to other aspirants like him.

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 Team Pratibimb

Arkdeep Chakraborty Athira P Raj Himanshu Pant

PGDM (ABM) PGDM (ABM) PGDM (ABM)
MANAGE MANAGE MANAGE
Mohit Kumar Piyush Dagar Titikshya Tushar Kanti
PGDM (ABM) PGDM (ABM) PGDM (ABM)
MANAGE MANAGE MANAGE

Facilitators

Dr. K. Anand Reddy

Director (HRD) & Principal Coordinator, PGDM(ABM)
MANAGE, Hyderabad

Dr. Lakshmi Murthy

Deputy Director (Doc)
MANAGE, Hyderabad

SPICE is Published by: LITERARY CLUB, MANAGE

National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management
(MANAGE) Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030
Tel: +91-40-240162702-706 | Fax: +91-40-2401388

Note: SPICE is a mouthpiece of MANAGE PGDM (ABM) students.The opinions expressed

are purely that of students and do not reflect the opinion of MANAGE.