Gandhinagar, Feb 18 The Gujarat government has implemented several farmer-centric schemes to boost agricultural productivity and enhance farmers' income, with more than 2.15 crore farmers in the state having received Soil Health Cards, according to government data on Tuesday.
One of the key initiatives, the SHC scheme, has played a crucial role in optimising fertiliser use, maintaining soil fertility, and improving crop yields.
Under the SHC scheme, soil samples from farms are collected and tested in laboratories to analyse nutrient levels.
"The cards provide detailed insights into 12 key soil parameters, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), organic carbon, sulphur, boron, and manganese. Based on these results, farmers receive personalised recommendations on fertiliser usage, enabling them to reduce excessive chemical inputs while maintaining soil fertility. To support the large-scale implementation of the SHC scheme, Gujarat has strengthened its soil testing infrastructure," according to the data.
At present, 20 government-operated soil testing laboratories and one micronutrient testing laboratory are functioning under the Agriculture Department.
Each government lab has an annual testing capacity of 10,000 to 11,000 soil samples.
Additionally, 27 private soil testing laboratories have been established in rural areas with government assistance, each capable of analysing around 3,000 samples per year.
According to the SHC portal, 1,78,634 soil samples were collected in Gujarat during 2023-24, of which 1,78,286 samples have been analysed.
For the Kharif 2024 season, the Union government set an aim of testing 3,81,000 soil samples in Gujarat, a target that the state has already exceeded.
As of now, 3,82,215 samples have been collected, with more than 3,70,000 samples already analysed.
Similarly, for the Rabi 2025 season, 2,35,426 samples have been collected, with 13,657 analysed so far.
The testing of the remaining samples is currently in progress.
Farmers across Gujarat have reported significant benefits from the SHC scheme.
Babu Patel, a farmer from Dhansura in the Aravalli district, shared his experience: "The SHC scheme recommended precise fertiliser usage, which helped me cut down input costs while improving crop yield. This has made farming more profitable for me."
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