Looking to enrich the state’s agricultural fields, the state government has decided to procure organic carbon analysis kits and accurately determine the soil composition. Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana said the primary objective of the initiative was to improve soil health and prevent agricultural land from becoming barren.
He was presiding over a meeting of the high-powered purchase committee. Others present for the discussions included Education Minister Mahipal Singh Dhanda and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department Additional Chief Secretary Vijayendra Kumar.
Sharing details of the government’s plan, Rana said a nod had been given to purchase of 332 analysis kits at an estimated cost of approximately Rs 2.5 crore. “They will be used across the state’s 106 government laboratories for detailed testing of soil samples collected from farmers’ fields. Farmers will then receive clear reports indicating the actual level of organic carbon present in their soil.”
Referring to scientific and agricultural standards, the Minister explained that for any field to produce healthy and abundant crops, the organic carbon content in the soil should be at least between 0.5 to 0.75 per cent.
