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The Government is implementing Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme since 2015-16 to ascertain soil health and fertility. Soil Health Card provides nutrient status of the soil along with prescription about balanced and integrated use of inorganic and organic fertilizers to maintain good soil health that results in increase in production.

The total number of farmers provided with SHCs during last three years, State/ UT-wise is given at Annexure–I. The States have not reported any challenges faced by them while implementing the scheme.

The number of soil testing laboratories set up across the country, State/ UT-wise is at Annexure-II.

Increase in agriculture production depends on a number of factors like use of quality seeds, balanced & integrated use of fertilizers, availability of irrigation, etc.National Production Council in their study ‘Soil Testing Infrastructure for Faster Delivery of Soil Health Card in India’ in 2017 reported an overall increase in the yield of crops to the tune of 5-6% by adopting SHC recommendations.

Steps taken by Government to improve agricultural productivity are given below:

 

1. The Government is implementing National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to enhance production and productivity of food crops. The mission aims at increasing foodgrain/food crop production through area expansion in niche regions and productivity improvement. Under NFSM, support is given for promotion of crops viz., rice, wheat, pulses, nutri cereals (jowar, bajra, ragi& small millets), coarse cereals (maize & barley), commercial crops (cotton, jute & sugarcane) and oilseeds and oilpalm.
2. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) plays a vital role to improve agricultural productivity through various interventions i.e. through introduction of improved varieties, quality seeds and planting materials, protected cultivation, high density plantation, rejuvenation, precision farming and horticultural mechanization.
3. Government is implementing Sub-Mission on Seeds & Planting Materials (SMSP) to promote production and multiplication of quality seeds of agricultural crops, so that the required quantities of seeds could be made available to farmers in the country.
4. Under Rashtriya Krishi VikasYojana (RKVY) funds are released to the State Governments on the basis of projects in Agriculture & allied sectors to implement the scheme in the States as per their requirement in areas which requires focused attention for increasing production and productivity in the State.
5.  “Per drop more crop” initiative under which drip/sprinkler irrigation is being encouraged for optimal utilization of water, reducing cost of inputs and increasing productivity.       

                                                                                                                                         

 

 

 Annexure-I

 

State-wise number of farmers provided with Soil Health Cards during last three years.

Sl. No.	States/UTs	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
1	Andaman & Nicobar	3894	1007	3000
2	Andhra Pradesh	3462629	226487	0
3	Arunachal Pradesh	10266	5432	53
4	Assam	1157702	67493	0
5	Bihar	4151316	123866	305223
6	Chhattisgarh	2811066	65341	387
7	D&N Haveli	2838	0	0
8	Goa	6066	9281	6556
9	Gujarat	4372845	63591	0
10	Haryana	2497185	30261	18972
11	Himachal Pradesh	56433	19613	5168
12	J & K	546930	56357	159890
13	Jharkhand	320914	14572	0
14	Karnataka	38538	73221	40104
15	Kerala	773204	171207	118022
16	Ladakh	16500	2103	0
17	Madhya Pradesh	5388000	127000	133000
18	Maharashtra	2792042	201837	0
19	Manipur	10357	10357	10010
20	Meghalaya	139741	45286	8531
21	Mizoram	11986	2119	0
22	Nagaland	12000	27304	0
23	Odisha	925635	431418	52056
24	Puducherry	53	32	64
25	Punjab	580000	580568	19196
26	Rajasthan	73660	23104	33347
27	Sikkim	3300	2936	0
28	Tamil Nadu	3533971	101144	32750
29	Telangana	472987	110664	165527
30	Tripura	18034	15614	6467
31	Uttar Pradesh	17472000	255517	20000
32	Uttarakhand	445556	13645	6700
33	West Bengal	612500	4520	0
Total		52720148	2882897	1145023

Note: - During 2020-21, soil testing was done by states under state programme (except Uttar Pradesh).

                                                                                    Annexure-II

State-wise number of Soil Testing Labs

S. No.	Name of State/ UT	Number of Soil Testing labs
		Static	Mobile	Mini Lab	Village level	Total
1	A&N Islands	1	0	0	0	1
2	Andhra Pradesh	47	13	1328	5	1393
3	Arunachal Pradesh	5	3	0	0	8
4	Assam	10	0	216	0	226
5	Bihar	38	9	1	23	71
6	Chhattisgarh	33	0	111	5	149
7	D&N Haveli	0	0	0	0	0
8	Goa	2	0	0	0	2
9	Gujarat	81	0	230	30	341
10	Haryana	35	0	0	34	69
11	Himachal Pradesh	11	9	69	0	89
12	J&K	20	12	0	0	32
13	Jharkhand	47	0	3164	0	3211
14	Karnataka	96	1	6	281	384
15	Kerala	22	12	0	0	34
16	Ladakh	2	0	0	0	2
17	Madhya Pradesh	78	7	503	1	589
18	Maharashtra	209	26	48	0	283
19	Manipur	1	0	16	2	19
20	Meghalaya	3	3	8	0	14
21	Mizoram	5	0	0	0	5
22	Nagaland	11	0	0	0	11
23	Odisha	30	30	314	0	374
24	Puducherry	2	0	0	0	2
25	Punjab	69	4	0	0	73
26	Rajasthan	101	12	0	0	113
27	Sikkim	3	0	0	14	17
28	Tamil Nadu	36	16	0	0	52
29	Telangana	22	4	2050	0	2076
30	Tripura	2	2	100	0	104
31	Uttar Pradesh	254	0	0	6	260
32	Uttarakhand	13	0	0	1	14
33	West Bengal	26	8	0	0	34
	Total	1315	171	8164	402	10052

 

This information was given by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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