Soil management given high priority in India

India's minister of agriculture and food processing industries Sharad Pawar has called for a higher priority to be placed on soil monitoring and soil quality in the country in order to manage sustainable farm growth.

In an address to the National Kharif Conference 2012, Pawar said that soil health had been witnessing a declining trend over the years. He said: "Adoption of multi-nutrient carriers that are soil and crop-specific and customised on the basis of soil-testing is emerging as a viable alternative to conventional approach."

The minister referenced the Bringing Green Revolution to the Eastern India (BGREI) scheme, which is improving productivity of rice-based cropping system. The minister will put increased emphasis on farm mechanisation, particularly in relation to small and marginal farmers.

Pawar urged the states to formulate state-specific Agriculture Infrastructure Development Plan and work on Agriculture Reforms Policy for boosting development of agriculture and allied sectors taking into account their respective agro-climatic conditions.

Posted by Joseph Hutton