Soil Health Card Scheme

Soil Health Card Scheme

A scheme launched by the Government of India in February 2015. Under the scheme, the government plans to issue soil cards to farmers which will carry crop-wise recommendations of nutrients and fertilisers required for the individual farms to help farmers to improve productivity through judicious use of inputs. All soil samples are to be tested in various soil testing labs across the country. Thereafter the experts will analyse the strength and weaknesses (micro-nutrients deficiency) of the soil and suggest measures to deal with it. The result and suggestion will be displayed in the cards. The government plans to issue the cards to 14 crore farmers in a span of three years beginning 2015-16. Data as on 13 January shows that only 257,000 soil samples have been tested so far. Paucity of funds and human resources are key factors affecting the successful implementation of the scheme.