KEA AO AAO Recruitment 2026 — 890 Vacancies

About This Job

KEA is hiring 890 Agriculture Officers (AO) and Assistant Agriculture Officers (AAO) for the Karnataka Agriculture Department. If you have a B.Sc (Agriculture) degree, you can apply online before 10 May 2026. Salary ranges from Rs. 65,950 to Rs. 1,34,200 per month depending on the post. Age limit is 18 to 40 years for the general category.

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) AO AAO Recruitment 2026 - 890 Posts

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released a recruitment notification for 890 Agriculture Officer (AO) and Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO) posts in the Residual Parent Cadre (RPC) and Kalyana Karnataka (KK) regions. This recruitment covers backlog vacancies in Group-B cadre posts and is being conducted under two separate advertisement numbers: EDI/KEA/08/RPC/2026 and EDI/KEA/09/KK/2026. Vacancies are spread across both RPC (632 posts) and Kalyana Karnataka (258 posts) regions. If you hold a degree in Agriculture or related fields, this is a great chance to get into a stable government career with the Karnataka state government.

Vacancy Breakdown

HK = Hyderabad Karnataka (Kalyana Karnataka) reserved posts. Note: Post-wise and category-wise detailed breakdowns are available in the official classification document on the KEA website.

Who Can Apply?

For 85% of AO and AAO posts:

• Qualification: B.Sc (Agriculture) or B.Sc (Hons) Agriculture from an ICAR / AICTE recognised university

For 15% of AO and AAO posts:

• B.Tech (Food Science and Technology)
• B.Tech (Food Technology)
• B.Sc (Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation)
• B.Sc (Hons) Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation
• B.Sc (Hons) Agri Business Management
• B.Sc (Agricultural Bio-Technology)
• B.Tech (Bio-Technology)
• B.Sc (Agricultural Engineering)
• B.Tech (Agricultural Engineering)

Note: Degrees from universities not recognised by ICAR / AICTE, and courses pursued through distance or correspondence mode, are not eligible. You must have completed the degree as of the last date of application.

Important: If you are already employed in a post listed above and are applying again, your candidature may be cancelled at any stage.

Age Limit

• Minimum age: 18 years
• Maximum age: 40 years (General / OM category) — as on the last date of application
• OBC (Category 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B): Up to 43 years
• SC / ST / Category-1: Up to 45 years
• Ex-Servicemen: Age relaxation of up to 10 years beyond the maximum age limit
• Karnataka government employees / In-service candidates: Additional relaxation of up to 5 years
• Persons with Disabilities (Special candidates): Up to 10 years relaxation
• Widows / Divorced women: Up to 10 years relaxation
• NCC Cadets: Relaxation for full-time NCC probationers who have completed service

Salary

• Agriculture Officer (AO): Rs. 69,250 to Rs. 1,34,200 per month — Pay Scale: 69250-1650-74200-1900-85600-2300-99400-2700-115600-3100-134200
• Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO): Rs. 65,950 to Rs. 1,24,900 per month — Pay Scale: 65950-1650-74200-1900-85600-2300-99400-2700-115600-3100-124900
• Plus DA, HRA and other allowances as per 2024 revised Karnataka State Pay Rules
• Probation period: 2 years
• Pension: National Pension System (NPS) applicable as per GO FD(SPL) 04 PT 2005 dated 31.03.2006

Application Fee

• General / OBC (Category 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B): Rs. 750 (Rs. 500 application fee + Rs. 250 processing fee)
• SC / ST / Category-1 / Ex-Servicemen / Transgender / PwBD: Rs. 500 (Rs. 250 application fee + Rs. 250 processing fee)
• Special category candidates (PwBD only): Rs. 250 (processing fee only)
• Payment mode: Online only
• Note: Fee once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances.
• If you apply for more than one post, you need to pay an additional Rs. 100 for each additional post applied.

Selection Process

Selection is done through a competitive written examination in Offline-OMR mode, followed by a mandatory Kannada Language Test:

1. Kannada Language Test: Mandatory qualifying test. You must score minimum 50 marks out of 150 (non-reserved category) or minimum 35 marks (reserved categories). Exam held on 6 June 2026 (3:00 PM to 5:00 PM). If you have passed SSLC/PUC with Kannada as a subject, or any equivalent Kannada language test approved by the Karnataka government, you are exempted from this test.
2. Written Competitive Exam (Offline OMR):
   • Paper 1 (General Paper): 300 marks, 2 hours — covers current affairs, general science, Karnataka history and geography, social science, general mental ability, Indian constitution, public administration and rural development, science and technology, international relations, environmental science, logical reasoning, daily household topics, and practical knowledge from qualifying exams
   • Paper 2 (Subject-specific paper): 300 marks, 2 hours — syllabus to be notified separately by KEA

Minimum qualifying marks: You must score at least 35 marks in the competitive exam to be eligible for the selection list.

Negative marking: 0.75 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer. After completing OMR Sheet 5, additional answer sheets will be provided for each subsequent answer. Any un-cancelled answer / alternative on the OMR sheet will result in 0.75 mark deduction per question.

Note: Exam centres will be in Bengaluru and Dharwad (district exam centres will not be provided). Centres cannot be changed under any circumstances.

How to Apply

1. Go to the KEA official portal at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea.
2. Register for OTR (One Time Registration) if you haven't already.
3. Click on the Agriculture Department (AO & AAO) Recruitment 2026 link for your region (RPC or Kalyana Karnataka).
4. Read the notification carefully before filling the application.
5. Fill in all required personal, educational, and reservation details correctly.
6. Upload your recent passport-size photo (JPEG, 50KB–200KB) and signature (JPEG, 50KB–70KB).
7. Pay the applicable application fee online before 12 May 2026.
8. Submit the application and download the confirmation for future reference.

Warning: Once submitted, you cannot change any details. Make sure all information is correct before submitting.

Important Dates

• Notification Date: 18 April 2026
• Online Application Start: 19 April 2026
• Last Date to Apply Online: 10 May 2026
• Last Date for Fee Payment: 12 May 2026
• Kannada Language Test: 6 June 2026 (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
• Written Exam (RPC Region) — Paper 1 & 2: 7 June 2026 (10:30 AM–12:30 PM and 2:30 PM–4:30 PM)
• Written Exam (Kalyana Karnataka Region): 14 June 2026
• Admit Card: To be announced on KEA website

• Provide technical guidance to farmers on modern agricultural practices and crop management
• Implement government agricultural schemes and programs at the field level
• Conduct soil testing, crop inspection, and recommend appropriate inputs and treatments
• Distribute seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural inputs to eligible farmers
• Maintain records of agricultural data including crop area, production, and farmer registrations
• Organize farmer training programs, demonstrations, and field visits
• Coordinate with other departments and agencies for integrated rural development
• Prepare reports and submit returns to senior officers as required