Nagaland’s soil and water conservation department is all set to provide soil health cards to 27,304 farmer beneficiaries within a stipulated time and also promote and distribute micronutrients covering 70,000 hectares under a pilot project on model villages.

The department is also gearing up to set up the state-of-the-art soil testing laboratories in all the district headquarters and fertilizer quality control laboratory and bio organic fertilizer quality control laboratory in Dimapur to deliver commendable services to the farming community of the state, an official release said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Nagaland observed the Soil Health Card Day in all the 11 districts of the state in coordination with Krishi Vikas Kendras and other agri and allied departments to scale up awareness on importance, values and benefits of soil health card-based recommendations amongst the farmers of the state.

The department under the pilot project on model villages during 2019-20 adopted one village in each of the 74 blocks where soil health card will be provided to each and every farmer after analysis based on the land holdings.

Besides providing soil health cards, kisan melas and demonstrations are also scheduled for all the 74 villages in the coming months in order to sensitise the farmers on the importance of soil health management and its benefits in crop production.

At the regional level, a workshop on soil health card scheme was organised at Indian Council of Agricultural Research Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, on Wednesday.

Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare Parshottam Rupala attended the workshop as the chief guest. The minister spoke on the importance of organic food production, which is attracting global attention.

Overview of soil health cards, integrated nutrient management, presentation and experience sharing by representatives from line departments and farmers from all the eight northeastern states were the main highlights of the programme.

Joint director and state nodal officer for soil health card and management K. Khekiho Shohe, who represented Nagaland in the workshop, spoke on the perspectives of shifting cultivation and its sustainability through incorporation of best soil and water conservation technologies at the farmers’ field for attaining long-term agriculture production and doubling of farmers’ income.

He also highlighted the activities undertaken by the Nagaland soil and water conservation department as an implementing agency in the state.