Soil health card users manage to save urea by 8-10%: Minister

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Saturday said about 10 crore soil health cards have been issued and farmers managed to save use of urea by 8-10 per cent by proper use of the card.

"About 10 crore soil health cards have been issued to the farmers in the country in the last three years. A study was conducted (on the impact) and it suggested that farmers who are using the cards properly, are able to save urea usage by 8-10 per cent and productivity of cultivable land also increased," he said while addressing 117th Annual General Meeting of Bharat Chamber of Commerce.

Emphasising on the importance of soil health, he said about 22.5 lakh hectares was brought under organic farming and it has been growing well.

He also pointed to the need for bringing amendment in the agriculture produce marketing act and urged states like West Bengal to amend its Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act.

"We have requested the states to bring amendment in the Act. The Centre is trying to connect 585 mandis with the electronic-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) by March 2018. The 17 proposals from the state (West Bengal) were pending because amendment in the act was not done. I urge all the states to bring changes in the act so that farmers' income grows," Singh said.

Andhra Pradesh, Gurajat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and many other states have undertaken to bring amendments in the agriculture marketing act.

In order to increase farmers' income, fisheries, dairy and growing trees for the sale of wood should also be looked into.

"We have asked the states to grant permit for growing and cutting 20 varieties of trees that will help to increase farmers' income," he added.

--IANS

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