By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Rudrapur, 25 Apr: State Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and District In-charge, Ganesh Joshi, inaugurated the newly constructed Regional Soil Testing Laboratory and Office of the Agriculture Department in Rudrapur. The facility has been built at a cost of Rs 197.00 lakh by the executing agency, Rural Works Department, Udham Singh Nagar.
During the inauguration, the minister distributed Soil Health Cards to 15 farmers. He highlighted that the excessive use of fertilisers in the region has led to a decline in soil fertility. This laboratory will test soil in farmers’ fields to determine the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, potash, sulphur, zinc, iron, copper, and other essential nutrients. Based on these tests, farmers will be guided on the appropriate types and quantities of fertilisers to use through the Soil Health Cards.
Minister Joshi emphasised that such informed practices will lead to increased crop yields and higher incomes for farmers. He called this initiative a significant step toward realising the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income. He also noted that the first file signed by Prime Minister Modi after assuming office for the third time was in favour of farmers, underscoring the pro-farmer approach of both the central and state governments.
He further mentioned that, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, financial assistance has been directly transferred to the accounts of 10 crore farmers via DBT. He urged all farmers to get their soil tested and make full use of the lab to enhance both productivity and income.
The Chief Agriculture Officer informed that 15 Soil Health Cards were distributed during the event. Last year, 11,700 farmers received their Soil Health Cards, and the target for this year is to issue cards to 14,800 farmers.
Present on the occasion were Mayor Vikas Sharma, BJP District General Secretary Amit Narang, Chief Development Officer Manish Kumar, Executive Engineer of the Rural Works Department Amit Bhartiya, Lab In-Charge Dr Narendra Singh, and several farmers.
