Sir,
World Health Soil Day was celebrated all over the world on December 5 this year.This day is celebrated to aware the farmers about the need of maintaining good health of the soil of their land and get the soil of their fields tested periodically to increase the crop yield of their fields and returns of the produce.Soil is undoubtedly an important resource and the ultimate medium in which we produce all the food in the world.Therefore,it is imperative that the soil is conserved and proper health of the soil is maintained for the optimum production of crops.But as a result of man’s indiscriminate activities coupled with imbalanced use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers,the health of the soil has deteriorated to a large extent.Therefore,it is imperative that sincere efforts are made to improve the health of soil by making the farmers aware of the need of testing the soil of their fields.But a large number of farmers are unaware of the importance of soil testing.It is thus, the responsibility of the concerned authorities of the Agriculture Department to organise camps at Block level to aware the farmers of the need for soil health management for sustainable agricultural practices.Mobile soil testing labs need to be pressed into service in order to test the soil of the fields at the doorsteps of the farmers so that crops relevant to the soil are grown.
Soil tests also enable the farmers to know the chemical and biological composition of the soil and in what component their soil is deficient and for what crop the soil is most suitable.On the basis of the reports of soil testing,the farmers can take remedial measures and increase their agricultural/horticultural produce by making up the required deficiencies of macro and micro nutrients by using the recommended quantity of manure and various fertilizers and growing crops suitable to the nature of the soil of their fields.Maintenance of soil health is of utmost importance and if we don’t take measures to improve it,the production of various crops may decline to such an extent that we may may have to face acute shortage of foodgrains,pulses,vegetables and other crops.Therefore,it is the duty of everybody to realise the importance of soil and conserve and maintain good health of soil which sustains all of us on the earth otherwise we may be forced to purhase things like 50 gms of rice pouch or twenty gms of kidney beans and the like due to their scarce production.
Ashok Sharma,
Housing Colony, Udhampur
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