Agribusiness Entrepreneurs: A Sri Lankan Perspective

The paper discusses the need for high quality agricultural entrepreneurs in the light of wider debates on agribusiness development, and explores these issues empirically through a survey of the entrepreneurial career aspirations of Sri Lankan students from Peradeniya. Aricultural students are more enterprising in their attitudes and aspirations than their local reputation suggests. They nevertheless are strongly orientated secure professional careers in government service and employment. It is suggested that the supply of highly qualified agricultural entrepreneurs may be less affected by motivation than by lack of knowledge and resources on how to effectively set up new profitable ventures.