Lok Sabha Question No. 407 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-18
Subject: Soil Health Cards
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: CHINTAMANI MALVIYA, LALLU SINGH, RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI, DILIP KUMAR MANSUKHLAL GANDHI, SHER SINGH GHUBAYA, RAVINDRA KUMAR RAY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.407

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  18 TH  JULY, 2017

## SOIL HEALTH CARDS

SHRI LALLU SINGH: SHRI RAJU SHETTY: SHRI DILIPKUMAR MANSUKHLAL GANDHI: SHRI SHER SINGH GHUBAYA:

407.   PROF. CHINTAMANI MALVIYA: DR. RAVINDRA KUMAR RAY:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE      ‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  a  nation-wide  centrally  sponsored  Soil  Health  Card  Scheme  is  being implemented  to  facilitate  every  farmer  to  test  the  soil  of  his  fields  and  improve  farm production  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  expenditure  incurred  on  this project/scheme and the details of benefits accrued to the farmers as a result thereof;
- (b) the number of Soil Health Cards issued/distributed to the farmers and remained to be issued undistributed so far, State/UT and year-wise and the details of time limit fixed by the Government to issue smart cards to all the farmers in the country;
- (c) whether soil health card is being issued to the farmers through the Post Offices in the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  increase  the  distribution  of  Soil  Health Cards amongst the distressed farmers in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the  Government proposes to take Soil Health Card Scheme to village and panchayat levels and if so, the steps taken/likely to be taken in this regard; and
- (f) the details regarding the number of farmers who got follow up action taken by the State/Central Agricultural Extension Workers?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF  STATE IN THE  MINISTRY OF  AGRICULTURE AND  FARMERS  WELFARE

‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान  कयाण ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã  ½ãñâ  Àã·¾ã  ½ãâ¨ããè (  SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a): Soil  Health  Card  Scheme  is  being  implemented    to  assist  all  State  Governments  to

regularly  in  a  cycle  of  2  years.    Soil  health  cards  provide  information  to  farmers  on  nutrient status of their soil along with recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

(b): Against the target of 11.88 crore soil health cards, 8.86 crore soil health cards have  been  distributed  to  farmers  in  the  first  two  year  cycle  (2015-2017)  State-wise details are given at Annexure.

(c): The  State  Government  of  Telangana  has  imparted  training  to  staff  of  the  Postal Department on collection of soil samples.  Implementation of the scheme on pilot basis by the Branch Post Masters is in progress.

(d)  & (e): Soil Health Cards are being distributed to all farmers of the country in a cycle of 2 years.  The scheme  includes all villages and Panchayats in the country.

(f): Agricultural  Extension  workers  organize  campaigns  in  their  respective    area  to  create awareness among farmers on benefits of the soil health card and use of appropriate dosage of fertilizer recommendation  made in the soil health card.

*****

## Annexure

## Number of Soil Health Cards Distributed to Farmers in the 1 st Cycle  (2015-2017).

(As on 11.07.2017)

| Sl.No.   | State                     | Targets for distribution of Soil Health Cards   |   No. of SHCs Distributed to farmers ( in lakh) |
|----------|---------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh            | 74.55                                           |                                           74.55 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh         | 1.13                                            |                                            0.09 |
| 3        | Assam                     | 15.40                                           |                                            1.56 |
| 4        | Bihar                     | 72.36                                           |                                           43.63 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh              | 38.91                                           |                                           40.3  |
| 6        | Goa                       | 0.25                                            |                                            0.2  |
| 7        | Gujarat                   | 51.08                                           |                                           43.93 |
| 8        | Haryana                   | 43.60                                           |                                           14.98 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh          | 3.85                                            |                                            5.43 |
| 10       | J & K                     | 9.14                                            |                                            2.5  |
| 11       | Jharkhand                 | 6.37                                            |                                            5.13 |
| 12       | Karnataka                 | 78.32                                           |                                           78.32 |
| 13       | Kerala                    | 7.05                                            |                                            7.05 |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh            | 88.72                                           |                                           88.72 |
| 15       | Maharashtra               | 129.77                                          |                                          129.77 |
| 16       | Manipur                   | 1.14                                            |                                            0.05 |
| 17       | Meghalaya                 | 2.09                                            |                                            2.09 |
| 18       | Mizoram                   | 0.12                                            |                                            0.08 |
| 19       | Nagaland                  | 1.85                                            |                                            1.85 |
| 20       | Odisha                    | 36.97                                           |                                           24.02 |
| 21       | Punjab                    | 46.19                                           |                                            7.61 |
| 22       | Rajasthan                 | 68.86                                           |                                           47.5  |
| 23       | Sikkim                    | 0.46                                            |                                            0.46 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu                | 70.00                                           |                                           70    |
| 25       | Telangana                 | 57.20                                           |                                           57.2  |
| 26       | Tripura                   | 1.17                                            |                                            1.17 |
| 27       | Uttarakhand               | 7.50                                            |                                            7.5  |
| 28       | Uttar Pradesh             | 233.25                                          |                                           96.62 |
| 29       | West Bengal               | 50.40                                           |                                           33.49 |
| 30.      | Puducherry                | 0.19                                            |                                            0.19 |
| 31.      | Andaman & Nicobar islands | 0.07                                            |                                            0.02 |
| Total    | Total                     | 1197.96*                                        |                                          886.01 |