50,000 soil health cards to be distributed on August 21: Secretary Agriculture

Ranchi: Secretary of the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department Pooja Singhal said on August 21 in a function to be held in the capital Chief Minister Raghubar Das will be distributing soil health cards among 50,000 farmers.

Addressing a press conference at the Suchana Bhawan here she said that apart from the distribution of the soil health cards identity cards will also be distributed among 350 ‘mitti ke doctors’ (soil doctors), 120 mini labs and 120 reagent refill will also be distributed on the occasion. She said that so far in the state 14 lakh soil health cards have been distributed among the farmers.

She said that the soil health cards were very beneficial for the farmers as many of them were not aware as to which plant they should grow on the soil to maximise yield as most of the times they bank on their production to tilt the soil.

Ms Singhal said that after examining the quality of the soil the ‘soil doctors’ give information regarding the nature of the soil, use of organic farming and other tips to the farmers to increase their production. Addressing to the queries of the reporters over the situation or rainfall and sowing of paddy in the state she said that the situation has improved in the last 10 days.

She said that overall the rainfall was short by 35 per cent in the state and till August 17 sowing had taken place on 55 per cent of the land. She said that the department was keeping a close watch on the situation and was holding meetings on a daily basis to asses the progress in agriculture.

Ms Singhal said that the department will be working on to prepare a list of blocks which have received less than 50 per cent rainfall so far. The secretary said that previous year the government had declared drought in the month of October.