Govt distributes soil health cards to 66 lakh farmers

The government today said it has distributed soil health cards to 66 lakh farmers this year so far and aims to reach out to 14 crore peasants by 2017.
In a status-report submitted to the Prime Minister, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said: "Ministry of Agriculture has provided soil health cards to 66 lakh farmers so far through states and science centres."
The target of 5 crore will be achieved this fiscal. For which, one million samples would be collected and examined, he said in a statement.
So far, 60 lakh soil samples have been collected, while the rest 40 lakh specimen will be collected by end of the fiscal, he added.

"Keeping in view the strength of the specimen, 3 crore soil health cards are being prepared," the minister said.
In the report, Singh informed that awareness about soil health card is increasing in the country. Farmers are getting interested and there is more participation to get soil health cards now.

"Till now, farmers remained oblivious whether their land was contaminated with any disorder. They did not know what sort of deficiency their land was involved with and how the disease or disorder concerned may be removed," he said.
The soil samples are being collected in both irrigated (2.5 hectare) and unirrigated land (10 hectare).

Soil health cards has details of soil-nutrients to help farmers take balanced approach towards use of fertilisers.
The states were given Rs 24 crore in 2014-15 fiscal for creating awareness and impart training to farmers about soil health. In the current fiscal, Rs 100 crore has been allocated to states for making soil health cards and set up labs.