Firdous Hassan
Srinagar: Alarmed by soil infertility, Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to establish six testing laboratories in each district to create a land evaluation and increased farm output
A document accessed by The Kashmir Monitor revealed that Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a rampant deterioration in soil health due to poor practices by the farmers.
It said the ignorance among farmers about sustainable soil health and unscientific land conversions leads to poor output and enterprise failure in the union territory.
As such the administration is mulling attracting and supporting entrepreneurs to set up six laboratories in every district to track soil health to boost production in the agriculture and horticulture sector.
“At a budget of Rs 92.95 crore, a total of 24 laboratories- four block level and two district level will be established in Jammu and Kashmir. Every district will have six soil testing laboratories. At least 200 argipreneurs shall be trained in soil health testing for establishing private testing labs,” it said.
The document said that data will be generated at the district level coupled with a web-based information system regarding soil health.
“We will have data for four districts with resolution up to panchayat levels. It will be followed by the creation of an intensive soil map at a 1:10000 scale and the deployment of a web-based soil information system. The motive is to capture soil profile data,” it said.
The document said that the evaluation of crop-land suitability will be focussed so that every particular crop gets an enhanced production of 10 percent.
“There will be a site-specific soil health assessment with Land evaluation for crop suitability and alternate land use. Jammu and Kashmir will have an authentic soil and land resource repository with the development of a comprehensive soil museum,” It said.
The document said that the creation of the infrastructure will pave way for the efficient use of fertilizers and micro-nutrients (INM) saving precious resources.
“A policy document on agriculture and urbanization for a sustainable ecosystem will be framed. It is expected that there will be up to a 10% increase in land productivity,” it said.
Dr. Shabir Bangroo, Professor of Soil Sciences at SKUAST, told The Kashmir Monitor that they will come up with a concrete land policy with the implementation of the project.
“This project is a kind of base for both agriculture and horticulture. We will get an entire idea about crop diversification. We will get information about how much land is available and what crops it will suit different districts. So far there has been an enormous unscientific land conversion from agriculture to horticulture or commercial purpose and it hasn’t helped our farmers to get benefitted,” he said.
Dr. Shabir said the government will have entire data about soil health in different areas.
“We have also witnessed that soil in Jammu and Kashmir has turned highly infertile over the decades. So information about the soil health and its constituents will be put on a website. A concrete land policy will come up under which the areas will be defined where the land conversion won’t be allowed,” he added.
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