Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday said that the government will provide soil health cards to 14 crore farmers by 2017.
Addressing a national conference on agriculture for the Kharif Crop campaign here, Singh said the government is giving special emphasis to the proper utilisation of soil and water.
He also said that all welfare schemes for farmers have been brought under four schemes, namely the Krishni Unnati Yojana, the Rashtriya Krishni Vikas Yojana, the Prime minister Sichai Yojana and the Rashtriya Krishi Gram Vima Yojana.
He urged farmers to concentrate more on horticulture due to climate change and other factors.
He also predicted a four to five per cent loss in wheat production due to the recent hailstorms in different parts of the country.
Agriculture Commissioner J S Sandhu said that the Kharif Crop contingency plan is ready for 580 districts in 25 states of the country, and added that the government is introducing new initiatives for increasing areas under summer crops with additional funding.
