Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura today urged the farmers to get the health of their soil evaluated to maximize their agricultural produce.The Minister was speaking at a function organized by the Department of Agriculture on the occasion of World Soil Health Day being celebrated here today.On the occasion, the Minister distributed Soil health cards among the farmers.The World Soil Health Day is observed on December 5 to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and a vital contributor to the human wellbeing.Director Agriculture Jammu, H. K. Razdan, Director Command Area Deveopment S Narinder Singh, Director Sericulture, Mir Tariq Ali, Chief Agriculture Officer, Reasi, Vinod Dhar, Project Officer, CAD A. K. Dubey, District Agriculture officer (Extension), Reasi, ASCO, Reasi, Harinder Singh Mankotia and other senior officers of Agriculture, CAD and Sericulture departments were present on the occasion.While speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that understanding the soil gives farmers a vital insight to understand best way to increase their yield. He said that card will also help the farmers to get an idea on crop wise recommendations of nutrients and fertilizers required in each type of soil. The card is given once in 3 years.
The Minister directed the officers and field functionaries of Agriculture, Command Area Development and Sericulture Departments to visit the far flung and remote areas to educate farmers regarding various incentives available for them under centrally and state sector schemes. He asked them to help mitigate the problems and difficulties being faced by farmers in these areas.Hanjura also asked the agriculture department to promote Apiculture and Mushroom cultivation to uplift the economic status of the farmers in the area.The Minister was informed that in phase first 2015-17, the department of agriculture distributed 34020 Soil Health Cards among the farmers of the district. As part of Phase second (2017-19), during Kharif 2017, 7062 numbers of Soil Health Cards have been distributed.He was also informed that farmers are registered at the web portal www.soilhealth.dac.go.in along with the details of the soil samples and lab test reports. Once registered, the farmers can keep track of soil health card generation, fertilizer and nutrients recommendations and test results of soil testing labs.