Soil samples gather dust at ill-equiped Maharashtra laboratories

Even though Maharashtra has received Rs 50.3 crore for Centre’s Soil Health Management and Soil Health Card Scheme, it has emerged that soil samples collected by local agriculture officials till now as part of the scheme is gathering dust at collection centres. This is because the 33 soil testing laboratories in the state are either ill-equipped or do not have enough staff.

At a state review meeting of agricultural and allied sector schemes of Government of India (GOI), Radha Mohan Singh, Union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare schemes, said that Rs 50.03 had been allotted for 2016-17 to Maharashtra. “To perform this work in an efficient matter, 23 soil testing laboratories have been established and 10 have been strengthened,” said Mr Singh.

The scheme, launched by GOI in February 2015, plans to issue soil health cards (SHC) to farmers to provide crop wise recommendations of nutrients and fertilisers required for the individual farms. At the same time, soil samples, collected by the farms will be tested in various soil testing laboratories, set up across the state to analyse the micronutrient deficiency of the soil to suggest the kind of crops, which will be suitable to the soil. About 14,58,209 such cards have been printed and distributed as of June 28, 2016. The government plans to issue the cards to 14 crore farmers across the country.

However, senior officials from the state department said that most of the centres are either ill-equipped or don’t have enough staff to collect the samples and test them in laboratories. Data accessed by the state officials showed that as 23.47 lakh soil samples are to be collected during the cycle-I of 2015-2017, as of June 28, 20.59 lakh samples were to be collected. However, due to lack of mechanism to test the samples, official figures are showing that merely 9 lakh samples had been collected. “The problem is that the fund allocation hasn’t been put to use as of now to strengthen the laboratories or hire staff. This way, the state officials will miss the deadlines and work pressure to meet the deadlines will not produce productive results,” said a higher official from the state government.