New Delhi, March 24, 2025: Over 35 lakh apprentices have been employed in over 49,000 companies across all sectors since the inception of National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in 2016. The agriculture and agrochemical sectors have employed over 15,000 apprentices in 512 companies in FY24 and industry leaders said they are willing to partner with various stakeholders to bridge the skills gap and cater to future skill demand.
Arati Nandi, Deputy General Manager- Industry Collaboration & Apprenticeship, National Skill Development Corporation said, “In the last financial year, the government has deployed over 15000 apprentices in 512 companies across Agriculture and Agrochemical Sector which is 148% more than year before that.”
In a seminar, “Bridging the skill gap in agrochemicals: How apprenticeships can drive growth”, organised today by Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Skill India and Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI), industry leaders touched upon the current skill gap in the agrochemical industry, the role of apprenticeship in addressing workforce shortages and future skill demands.
RD Kapoor, Head-Agri Support & Alliances, PI Industries Ltd. emphasised on the lack of skilled staff in R&D sector.
“There is a need for trained and qualified drone operators so that it does not harm the crops, and farmers can reap the benefits that this technology is meant to provide.”
RG Agarwal, Founder Chairman of Dhanuka Agritech Ltd. mentioned that there is a huge untapped potential in our industry which can be fully utilised if we have dedicated and qualified workforce. I believe under NAPS, we can bridge this gap.
Raju Kapoor, Director-Industry & Public Affairs, FMC India said that the agrochemical industry is one of the most crucial industries and we need to shift our focus towards preserving this skilled talented workforce.
“We also need to design a customised plan on educating the trainees on precision agriculture, which is the need of the hour.”
Dr. Kalyan Goswami, DG, ACFI emphasised that there is a huge gap in the Agricultural Extension Services which has created a huge educational gap in the Indian farming community and the government needs to address this issue at the earliest.
The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), launched in August 2016, aims to promote apprenticeship training in the country by providing stipend support to the apprentices, undertake capacity building of the apprenticeship ecosystem and provide advocacy assistance to support rapid growth.
Since its inception, over 35 lakh apprentices have been engaged in various sectors. The NAPS portal has witnessed significant growth, with the number of registered establishments increasing from 17,608 in March 2017 to 2.21 lakh by March 2024, highlighting widespread industry participation and support. The participation of women has notably increased from 7.74% in 2016-17 to 20.77% in 2023-24, reflecting efforts to encourage more women to pursue careers in diverse sectors.
