Why in the News?
- The 10th Soil Health Card Day was celebrated on 19 February, 2025 in India .
Key Points:
Soil Health Card Scheme:
=> This scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on 19 February 2015 in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.
=> The theme of this scheme is: Healthy Earth, Green Fields.
Objective:
=> Distributing soil health cards to farmers at an interval of every 2 years.
=> Providing necessary guidance to farmers for improving soil health and its fertility
=> Providing information to farmers about the nutrient status of soil along with proper quantity of nutrients
=> Strengthening of Soil Testing Laboratories (STL)
=> To solve the problem of soil fertility in the states
=> To provide corrective measures
Portal:
=> Soil Health Card Portal provides a facility to generate Soil Health Cards for the benefit of farmers in a uniform and standardized format in all major languages and 5 dialects across the country.
=> Soil health card contains the status of soil with respect to 12 parameters, such as
- Macro nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K)
- Secondary Nutrients : Sulfur (S)
- Micronutrients: Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Boron (B)
- Physical Parameters: pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC)
=> Based on this, the card also gives the fertilizer recommendations and soil amendments required for the farm.
=> Soil samples are generally taken twice a year, after harvesting of Rabi and Kharif crops respectively or when there is no standing crop in the field.