- Imbalanced Fertiliser Application
- Currently, the fertiliser subsidy system in India favours urea, resulting in excess nitrogen applications and less incorporation of phosphorus and potassium.
- Skewed NPK Ratio
- The NPK used ratio in the year 2021 22 was 7.7:3.1:1, which they said was never close to the realistic ideal ratio of 4:2:1, leaving soil degradation and groundwater pollution in its wake.
Advance in a Decade Through SHC Schemes
- Customized Soil Recommendations
- More than 247 million Soil Health Cards (SHCs) were already issued in India to support farmers on balanced fertilization.
- Infrastructure for Better Soil Testing:
- Setting up 8,272 Soil Testing Labs (STLs), some of which feature 665 Village Level STLs distributed across 17 states.
- 1,020 schools implementing soil health programs, including the entry of 1,000 STLs, with more than 100,000 students participating.
- Geospatial Technologies & SHC Mobile App combined for precision soil mapping and real time soil sample tracking.
Issues Attached to SHC Implementation
- Under Staffing, Resources & Infrastructure Facilities
- Most of the STLs are under staffed in terms of people as well as resources and suffer from the attainment of timely test results.
- Lower Compliance of Recommendations
- Farmers do not usually get the SHC prescription, let alone follow it, hence depriving this scheme of effectiveness.
Technological Innovations for Soil Testing
- Portable AI Enabled Soil Testing Kits
- “KRISHIRASTAA Soil Testing System” (IoT based) conducts 12 key soil tests in 30 minutes.
- Developed by ICAR IIRR & Agritech Startup KrishiTantra, soil testing will be telephone patented to bring speed, scale, and cost savings to solutions.
- AgriTech Startups
- by using AI to make soil testing faster, they can provide rather affordable and innovative solutions to the farmers.
The Way Forward
- Scale up Real Time Agronomic Advisory Services: so that the SHC recommendations are properly acted upon.
- Raise Awareness & Farmer Education: on both balanced fertiliser use and SHC benefits.
- Enhance STL Infrastructure & Workforce: Increase the scope and effectiveness of the system.
- Dramatically Scale Up AI Enabled Soil Testing Technology: Fast, accurate testing is the goal.
Thus, India will march towards sustainable agriculture and increased productivity by matching advances in technology with soil specific programs.
