Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture (KIA) was established at Sakthinagar of Erode District and started functioning from Sep. 8, 2014, with 60 students (23 boys and 37 girls). The classes for the first year students of 2014-15 batch commenced on the same day.
In the beginning, KIA was functioning from the Sakthi Polytechnic College (SPC) building, which is also located at Sakthinagar, where space was provided in the second floor.
A week earlier, on Aug. 30, 2014 Dr. P. Sivasubramanian, Retd. Director of Agri Business Development, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore joined KIA as its first Executive Officer.
Dr. P. Venkatachalam, Professor (Bio-Energy), TNAU, Coimbatore joined as the first Dean of KIA on Sep. 8, 2014 who served till Oct. 14, 2014.
Dr. T. R. Shanmugam, Professor (Agrl. Economics), TNAU, Coimbatore joined as Dean on Nov. 13, 2014.
During 2014, two regular Scientists viz, Dr. P. Baskar, Asst. Professor (Agronomy) and Mr. T. Kamalakannan, Asst. Professor (Hort.) were employed at KIA.
2015
Students participated in the Talentia held at Agricultural College and Research Institute (AC & RI) Madurai on Feb. 6, 2015. V. Vasanth of I B.Sc (Ag.) won second prize in English poetry writing.
First College Day, Sports Day and Annual Day functions were held on May 13, 2015. Thiru. T.Stalin Gunasekaran, MD, Makkal Sinthanai Peravai, Erode was the Chief Guest.
Orchard was established in the North Farm during June 2015 by planting a wide range of fruit tree seedlings.
Based on the advice of the Professor and Head, Dept. of Agrl. Meteorology, TNAU, Coimbatore the Automatic Weather Station (AWS) was shifted to North Farm and installed inside the Meteorological Observatory on Oct. 10, 2015.
Dairy unit was established by purchasing three cows and a calf on Oct. 15, 2015.
Rotaract Club at KIA was inaugurated on Dec. 29, 2015.
During 2015, 13 Scientists belonging to different disciplines were employed at KIA.
2016
Th.A.Balasubramaniam, R&D Manager, Sakthi Sugars Ltd., Sakthinagar joined as Executive Officer incharge of KIA on Jan. 18, 2016, in the place of Dr.P.Sivasubramanian, who was relieved on the same day.
Bhoomi pooja for construction of Phase I of Academic Building of size 25,000 sq.ft was held on May 2, 2016.
KIA website was launched on May 5, 2016 as www.kia.ac.in.
First NSS Special Camp was held at Oricheri village from May 23 – 31, 2016 for the II year students (2014-15 batch).
Dr. N. Asoka Raja, Professor, (Agronomy), TNAU joined as Dean on July 6, 2016, in the place of Dr. T. R. Shanmugam who was relieved on July 3, 2016.
Orientation Day for first year students (2016-17 batch) was held on Aug. 4, 2016. Thiru. V. K. Subburaj, IAS, Retd. Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, New Delhi and Dr. M. Manickam, Executive Chairman, Sakthi Group of Companies were the Chief Guests.
An area of 3 acres of garden land in South Farm was converted into wetland. The III year students of 2014-15 batch raised rice crop in the newly converted wetland for their Crop Production course.
Tissue Culture lab was declared open by Dr.M. Manickam, Executive Chairman, Sakthi Group of Companies on Sep. 27, 2016.
Mushroom Unit, Poultry Unit, Vermi compost Unit and Goat shed were established during Nov. 2016.
First Students’ Club was inaugurated on Dec. 27, 2016 by Dr. P. Pandiyarajan, Dean, Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute (ADAC&RI), Trichy.
During 2016, 22 Scientists belonging to different disciplines were employed at KIA.
2017
Dr. M.Manickam, Executive Chairman, Sakthi Group of Companies inaugurated the Integrated Farming System (IFS) Unit in South Farm on Jan. 28, 2017.
Science Exhibition to mark the National Science Day was held on Feb. 28, 2017. Th. N. Sezhian, Senior General Manager, Sakthi Sugars Ltd. and Dr. K. R. Muthuswamy, Principal Sakthi Polytechnic College were the Chief Guests. The students of Sakthi Polytechnic College and Sakthi Higher Secondary School visited the exhibition.
International Forest Day was celebrated on March 21, 2017. Thiru. P.G. Arunlal, IFS, District Forest Officer & Deputy Director, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve was the Chief Guest. Mass tree planting was done in the North Farm to mark the occasion.
World Water Day was celebrated on March 22, 2017. Er. S. Sivalingam, Deputy Chief Engineer, PWD, Govt. of Tamil Nadu was the Chief Guest.
Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Professor (Agrl. Extension) & Directorate Coordinator, Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), TNAU joined as Dean on March 23, 2017 in the place of Dr. N. Asoka Raja who was relieved on the same day.
Ganapathi, Mahalakshmi, Navagraha pooja for the new Academic Building and bhoomi pooja for the new Girls Hostel were held on April 23, 2017, in the presence of Thiru.M.Balasubramaniam, MD, Sakthi Group of Companies.
Construction work of Phase I of the KIA Academic Building of KIA was completed during May 2017 and thereafter the College was shifted from the Sakthi Polytechnic College building to the new KIA Academic Block.
Construction work of Phase II of the KIA Academic building was started during the month of May 2017. The total area of the building is 35,000 sq. feet, with ground floor plus two floors, which is meant for housing 12 laboratories and two smart class rooms.
Construction work of Girls Hostel commenced during May 2017. The building consists of ground floor plus first floor, with an area of 25,000 sq. feet. There are 46 rooms in the hostel, capable of accommodating 160 girl students.
NSS Special Camp was held at P.Vellalapalayam village, Gobichettipalaym from May 23 – 31, 2017 for the second year students (2015-16 batch).
Dairy Shed was constructed with 800 sq.ft area at South Farm to house around 10 dairy cows, which was declared open by Dr. A. Abdul Kareem, Former Vice-Chancellor, TNAU during his visit to KIA on Dec. 18, 2017.
Piggery Unit with five nos. of pigs was added for the first time to the Animal Husbandry Unit at South Farm.
Placement Cell was started in KIA during this year so as to initiate Placement activities such as (i) formation of study circles, (ii) conduct of ‘Nobel Vision’ sessions, (iii) conducting coaching classes for competitive exams, (iv) arranging campus interviews for job placement and (v) counselling for higher education.
Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, sanctioned an externally funded project titled “Biotechnological Valorization of Molasses Distillery Spent wash into single cell oil with simultaneous removal of potential nutrients” with budget outlay of Rs. 22.63 lakhs which is the first externally funded project obtained by this Institute. Dr. M. Iniya Kumar, Asst. Professor (Agrl. Microbiology) is the Principal Investigator of the project.
Annual Day, Sports Day and Hostel Day Functions where held on July 5, 2017 at KIA. Th. S. Suresh Kumar, Chairman, Pallavan Grama Bank, Salem was the Chief Guest.
International Yoga Day was celebrated on 21.06.2017.
Book Fair was organized at KIA for the first time, for two days on Oct. 30 & 31, 2017 for the benefit of students and staff.
To promote research activities at KIA, “Institutional Funded Research” (IFR) programme was started, which enables Scientists to propose and carryout research projects that are of small–term, small–scale and small-budget in nature.
Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) programme was organised for the first time at KIA from Aug. 17 to Nov. 14, 2017. During this programme the IV year students (57 nos.) of 2014- 15 batch were placed in 10 different blocks of Erode, Salem, and Coimbatore Districts.
Subscription of the “The Hindu” newspaper in Hostels was started on Aug. 23, 2017, which was supplied to all the rooms in the hostels.
Farmers Training programme under ATMA was organized for 40 farmers at KIA on the topic “Integrated Crop Management” in Vegetables in association with the State Department of Horticulture on Sep. 15, 2017. This is the first Farmers Training conducted at KIA.
“Parthenium Eradication Brigade” was started in this Institute on May 31, 2017, so as to control the growth of Parthenium weed in the campus.
Wi-Fi connection was provided in the Academic Building since Sep. 24, 2017 for the benefit of all the Students and Staff.
Agri Nova’ 17 – the Orientation Programme for the Freshers (2017-18 batch) was held on Sep. 23, 2017. Thiru. J. Vanangamudi, Retd. Senior Manger, Canara Bank, Coimbatore was the Chief Guest. College magazine of KIA was announced as ‘Narumugizh’ during the programme.
Orientation programme for ‘Study Circles’ was held on Nov.2, 2017, which is meant to encourage early specialization of Students on their subjects of interest.
‘Nobel Vision’ lectures were commenced at KIA, during which special lectures are delivered by KIA Scientists on inspiring achievers in agriculture, reputed agricultural Institutes, and important agriculture related issues, for motivating students.
Dr. S. Babu, Director, Agri- Centre, Vellore Institute of Technology visited KIA on Nov.17, 2017 and interacted with the Scientists on research opportunities and funding sources.
World Soil Day was celebrated on Dec.5, 2017. Dr. S. Chellamuthu, Former Director, Water Technology Centre (WTC), TNAU, Coimbatore was the Chief Guest , who also delivered a special lecture.
Dr. A. Abdul Kareem, Former Vice – Chancellor, TNAU visited KIA on Dec.18, 2017, for assessing the infrastructure facilities and other resources available at KIA.
All India Study Tour (AIST) course was organized for the first time at KIA for the final year students of 2014-15 batch from Nov. 18 to Dec. 5, 2017. They visited reputed Institutes in Hyderabad, New Delhi, Dehradun, Jaipur, Shimla and Haryana.
During 2017, 25 Scientists belonging to different disciplines were employed at KIA.
2018
Construction of new Girls Hostel was completed, and girl students occupied the new hostel during January, 2018.
One–day Training on Organic Farming was conducted on Jan.11, 2018 in association with the State Department of Horticulture and Uyir Organic Farmers market, Erode for around 40 farmers of Erode District.
In the Inter Collegiate Tournament (ICT) trials for Sports and Games held at TNAU, Coimbatore, Selvi.P.V Santhya of II B.Sc. (Ag.), KIA got selected for the Kho-Kho team, and represented the University in the All India Inter University Athletic Championship held at Bengaluru on Jan.11, 2018.
KIA had put up a Exhibition Stall in the Kongu Nattu Kalnadai Thiruvizha held from Feb. 8 –10, 2018 at Samathur, Pollachi. This was the first time that KIA had participated in an Exhibition. Thiru. B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar , Chairman, Kumarauru College of Technology, Coimbatore visited the stall and interacted with the students and staff.
Home Med Garden was established at KIA on Feb.18, 2018 in an area of 35 cents.
In SIICA (Sakthi Institute of Inter Collegiate Athletic Association) tournament organized by Nachimuthu Gounder Mahalingam College, Pollachi during Feb.16 – 22, 2018, M. Ashokarajan of III B.Sc.(Ag.) secured first place in Javelin Throw (Boys), and P.V Santhya of II B.Sc. (Ag.) secured second place in the Javelin Throw (Girls). Girls Kho-Kho team won the Runner-up trophy and also secured third place in 4x100m Relay and fourth place in Badminton tournament. Boy students secured fourth place in cricket.
Students of KIA participated in The SPORAG (Inter Agri college Open Tournament), organized by Annamalai University, Chidambaram, during Feb.28 – Mar.3, 2018.
Students of KIA (11 nos.) participated in the National Level Management Meet PRBANDHAZ 2018 held at TNAU on Feb.23 & 24, 2018.
Students of KIA (29 nos.) participated in the TALENTIA 2018 held at AC &RI, Madurai on Mar. 9 & 10, 2018 and won prizes.
National Science Day was celebrated on Feb.28, 2018 at KIA, in which Dr. M.V. Ranghaswami, Dean, Department of Agriculture Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam was the Chief Guest.
Thiru. M. Balasubramanian, MD, Sakthi Group of Companies conducted a Meeting at KIA on Mar.14, 2018 with KIA Scientists, Staff of ABTIL and Sakthi Sugars regarding research activities proposed to be conducted at KIA.
All the Laboratories were shifted to the Academic Block during Mar. 2018, since Phase II construction was over.
Seeds of an advanced ART [Adaptive Research Trial] Cotton variety TCH 1819 was obtained from Department of Cotton, TNAU and was sown during March – April, 2018 in South Farm for the Crop Production Course, of 2015 – 16 batch.
One–day Training on Integrated Farming System (IFS) was conducted on Mar.27, 2018 in association with the State Department of Horticulture for around 30 farmers of Chennimalai Block of Erode District.
NSS special camp was held at Ammapalayam Village of Gobi taluk from April 21 – 27, 2018 for the second year students (2016-17 batch).
‘Students’ Seminar’ was started at KIA on April 7, 2018 and the first Students’ Seminar was delivered by the 10 III Year students who had attended the ‘Agripreneurship Convention 2018’ held at TNAU on Mar.16 & 17, 2018.
One–day Training on Integrated Farming System (IFS) was conducted on April 18, 2018 in association with the State Department of Horticulture for around 25 farmers of Bhavani Block of Erode District.
As on date 27 Scientists are employed at KIA.
2019
The college celebrated Annual Club Day, Sports Day, and Hostel Day on 4th June. Dr. K. Venkatasubramanian, Principal Scientist (Agrl. Extension), Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore & Former Asst. Director-General, Extension Division, ICAR, New Delhi was the chief guest of the day.
TNAU standing committee visited KIA on 2nd May. The committee comprised of Dr.L. Pugalendhi, Dean (Horticulture), TNAU, Coimbatore, Dr.R. Gnanam, Professor and Head (Plant Biotechnology), TNAU, Coimbatore and Dr.V. Rajendiran, Professor (Soil and Water conservation Engineering), TNAU, Coimbatore.
Dr.P.Venkatachalam, Retd. Professor (Bioenergy), TNAU took charge as the new Principal on 1st June.
The Farewell celebrations for the 2015 batch were on 9th June with Th. L. Narayanan, CEO, MR colour lab, Erode as the Guest of Honour.
The International Yoga Day was observed on 21st June.
The Farewell for Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Former Dean was organised on 28th June.
Dr. C. Ramasamy, Former Vice-Chancellor, TNAU visited KIA on 11th July for the consultancy on ICAR accreditation.
Thiru. M. Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, Sakthi Group of companies paid a visit to the college on 24th July.
2019-20 Batch of 120 first Year Students joined the college on 21st August.
Teachers Day celebrations were on 5th September.
A warm welcome to the 2019 – 20 batch first years ‘Agri Nova’ was on 3rd October. The guest of the day was Th. V. Thiruvenkadam, Senior General Manager, Sakthi Sugars Limited.
Parents – Teachers meeting for II B.Sc.(Hons.) Agriculture students (2018 batch) was on 4th October.
The meeting of the Sexual Harassment Committee was held on 15th November.
The World soil Day was observed on 5th December. Dr. A.K. Mani, Retd, Professor & Head, Regional Research Station, Paiyur was the Honoured Guest. In connection with the observance, various competitions were conducted for the students on the theme of World Soil Day, “Stop Soil Erosion; Save Our Future”
The 2016 batch students had their All India Study Tour from3rdto 21st December.
The students of our college participated in TNAU ICT from 19th to 24th December.
2020
The exhibition of the RAWE programme of the 2016 batch students was organised on 3rd January 2020.
Pongalvizha celebrations were on 11th January 2020.
20 scientists from KIA participated in the Indo-IsrealConference held at KCT on 29th January 2020.
The Students Club was inaugurated on 30th January 2020 by Dr.L. Pugalendhi, Dean (Horticulture), TNAU, Coimbatore, and inducted the Office Bearers of the club.
The Rice Field Day was observed on 20th February 2020.
The International Women’s Day was celebrated on 6th March 2020.
