Health check-up for fields

Madhya Pradesh farmers to get soil health cards

 
By Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava
Published: Sunday 28 February 2010

ImageFarmers in Madhya Pradesh no longer need to follow the trial-and-error method while choosing fertilizers for their fields. The state government plans to distribute soil health cards in the next two years to help them determine soil fertility and accordingly chose the right fertilizer for their crops.

The card will be prepared for all farmers across the state after conducting laboratory tests of soil samples for their respective fields. “The card will show the characteristics of the soil, such as the pH value, and the micro and macro-nutrients present in it,” said D N Sharma, director of the state agriculture department.
   

The information would help farmers overcome shortage of nutrients in their fields and determine the cycle of profitable crops. The card will also have recommendations by agriculture experts on the kind of fertilizers to be used for a particular field, said Sharma.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently called the agriculture department to chalk out a time-bound action plan for the Rs 4-crore scheme under the Centre’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. Sharma said the scheme is being implemented in a few districts and will be launched across the state from April this year. About 50 labs of the agriculture department and research institutes have been identified for soil testing. Joint director of agriculture K P Ahirwar said random samples would be taken from villages on basis of their topography and a fertility map would be prepared for each village.

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