Soil Health Card Scheme (SHCS) completed 10 Years

Soil Health Card Scheme (SHCS) Marks 10 Years

The Soil Health Card Scheme (SHCS), launched in 2015 in Suratgarh, Rajasthan, aims to support state governments in providing soil health cards to all farmers across the country.

As of 2022-23, the SHCS has been incorporated into the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as a component under the name “Soil Health & Fertility.”

About SHCS:

• Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Objective:
  • To issue soil health cards to all farmers every two years.
  • To develop and promote soil-test-based nutrient management to improve nutrient use efficiency.

Features of the Scheme:

• Soil Health Cards: These cards provide farmers with information about the nutrient status of their soil, along with recommendations on the appropriate dosage of nutrients for improving soil health.
  • The card includes data on 12 parameters:
    • Macro-nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulfur (S)
    • Micro-nutrients: Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Boron (Bo)
    • Other Parameters: pH (acidity or basicity), EC (Electrical Conductivity), and OC (Organic Carbon).
• Infrastructure: The scheme includes setting up village-level soil testing labs and a Soil Health Card Portal for standardized and uniform generation of cards.

Implementation: The scheme is implemented by the Department of Agriculture in all states and Union Territories.

Key Achievements of SHCS:

• A total of 24.74 crore Soil Health Cards have been generated.
• The number of cards issued to farmers increased from 16 lakh in 2020-21 to 53 lakh in 2024-25.
• The Soil and Land Use Survey of India has generated 1,987 village-level soil fertility maps for 21 states and Union Territories.

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