Lok Sabha Question No. 3465 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-10
Subject: Soil Testing
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Dharambir Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3465

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 10 TH  DECEMBER, 2019

## SOIL TESTING

3465.  SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has formulated a scheme to test the soil of agricultural fields to prevent the spread of cancer like disease through it;

(b) if  so,  the  number  of  States  where the  soil has  been tested  so far including  the details thereof, State-wise; and

(c) if  not,  whether  the  Government  should  not  get  the  testing  of  the  soil  done  for  toxicity spreading through food products grown along with the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a): Government  has  been  implementing  Soil  Health  Card  (SHC)  Scheme  since  2015  to provide soil test based crop-specific nutrient recommendations to all the farmers in the country every  2  years.  Each  sample  is  tested  for  12  parameters  namely  macro-nutrients  (Nitrogen, Phosphorous & Potassium),  secondary nutrient (Sulphur) ,  micro-nutrients (Zinc, Iron, Copper, Boron & Manganese)  and others (Electrical Conductivity,  pH & Organic Carbon).  Soil Health Card provides 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 productivity, which would also result in safe produce.

(b): The  number  of  soil  samples  tested  during  cycle  -I  (2015-17)  is  253.49  lakh  samples, during cycle - II (2017-19) is 267.86  lakh samples and during current year (2019-20 so far) is 13.20 lakh. The State-wise detail is given at Annexure.

(c): In  order  to  assess  the  factual  position  of  crop  growing  soils  of  the  country  in  terms  of pesticides residues, work has recently been initiated in program mode at Division of Agriculture Chemicals, IARI,  the  assessment of  soils  of  basmati  growing  regions  and  vegetable  growing belts in the first phase.

Annexure

State-wise number of Soil Samples Tested under Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme

| Sl. No.   | States/UTs             | Number of Soil Samples Tested during   | Number of Soil Samples Tested during   | Number of Soil Samples Tested during   |
|-----------|------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | States/UTs             | Cycle-I (2015-17)                      | Cycle-II (2017-19)                     | (2019-20)                              |
| 1         | Uttar Pradesh          | 4770399                                | 4867442                                | 245000                                 |
| 2         | Maharashtra            | 2347121                                | 2792042                                | 196412                                 |
| 3         | Madhya Pradesh         | 2313977                                | 2315844                                | 109085                                 |
| 4         | Rajasthan              | 2308013                                | 2865039                                | 42293                                  |
| 5         | Karnataka              | 1665765                                | 1665766                                | 61495                                  |
| 6         | Gujarat                | 1589236                                | 1684207                                | 63591                                  |
| 7         | Andhra Pradesh         | 1348382                                | 1357706                                | 225970                                 |
| 8         | Bihar                  | 1308778                                | 1149690                                | 38698                                  |
| 9         | West Bengal            | 1300349                                | 1167860                                | 0                                      |
| 10        | Tamil Nadu             | 1274536                                | 1300037                                | 58317                                  |
| 11        | Telangana              | 1034678                                | 954453                                 | 110664                                 |
| 12        | Punjab                 | 835526                                 | 835526                                 | 17793                                  |
| 13        | Haryana                | 788670                                 | 1245100                                | 22666                                  |
| 14        | Chhattisgarh           | 703691                                 | 949334                                 | 55054                                  |
| 15        | Odisha                 | 668635                                 | 579383                                 | 2562                                   |
| 16        | Kerala                 | 127585                                 | 141454                                 | 0                                      |
| 17        | Goa                    | 25000                                  | 12000                                  | 529                                    |
| 18        | Uttarakhand            | 135738                                 | 137019                                 | 12513                                  |
| 19        | Himachal Pradesh       | 69635                                  | 100000                                 | 13539                                  |
| 20        | J & K                  | 160687                                 | 147853                                 | 28267                                  |
| 21        | Jharkhand              | 115302                                 | 76164                                  | 3965                                   |
| 22        | Arunachal Pradesh      | 20532                                  | 8005                                   | 0                                      |
| 23        | Assam                  | 278707                                 | 284778                                 | 0                                      |
| 24        | Manipur                | 20713                                  | 20714                                  | 0                                      |
| 25        | Meghalaya              | 39372                                  | 39372                                  | 2846                                   |
| 26        | Mizoram                | 11986                                  | 11986                                  | 590                                    |
| 27        | Nagaland               | 33423                                  | 16712                                  | 0                                      |
| 28        | Sikkim                 | 13217                                  | 10109                                  | 0                                      |
| 29        | Tripura                | 32736                                  | 32736                                  | 8650                                   |
| 30        | Delhi                  | 0                                      | 860                                    | 0                                      |
| 31        | Andaman & Nicobar      | 1405                                   | 11804                                  | 0                                      |
| 32        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 2222                                   | 0                                      | 0                                      |
| 33        | Puducherry             | 3530                                   | 5747                                   | 236                                    |
| Total     | Total                  | 25349546                               | 26786742                               | 1320735                                |

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