The Soil Health Card scheme was launched in 2015 to evaluate the soil fertility of every farm holding across India every two years. Under the scheme, farmers are provided a printed soil health card containing the status of 12 soil parameters and customized fertilizer recommendations. The objectives of the scheme include issuing soil health cards every 3 years to all farmers, strengthening soil testing laboratories, and promoting optimized nutrient management. Soil samples are collected from farms and tested at laboratories, and cards are issued to indicate soil health and appropriate fertilizer use. The government has distributed over 22 crore soil health cards so far under this scheme.

1. Integrated Nutrient Management
SOIL HEALTH CARD
- Anjali Singh
Abhishek Anand
Siddharth Jain
Ashish Kr Pandey
Sakshi
Aparna banyal

2. SOIL HEALTH CARD SCHEME:
• SHC scheme was launched during 2015 to evaluate soil
fertility of every farm holdings across the country in
every two years.
• It is promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-
operation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers'
Welfare.
• It is being implemented through the Department of
Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory
Governments.

3. What is a Soil Health Card
(SHC) ?
• SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed
over for each of his holdings.
• It will contain the status of his soil with respect to 12
parameters, namely N,P,K (Macro-nutrients) ; S
(Secondary- nutrient) ; Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro -
nutrients) ; and pH, EC, OC (Physical parameters).
• Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer
recommendations and soil amendment required for
the farm.

5. Scheme Objectives:
• To issue soil health cards for every 3 years, to all farmers of
the country.
• To strengthen functioning of Soil Testing Laboratories (STLs)
through capacity building, involvement of agriculture students
and effective linkage with (ICAR) / (SAUs).
• To diagnose soil fertility related constraints with standardized
procedures for sampling uniformly across states and analysis
and design taluqa / block level fertilizer recommendations in
targeted districts.
• To develop and promote soil test based nutrient management
in the districts for enhancing nutrient use efficiency.
• To build capacities of district and state level staff and of
progressive farmers for promotion of nutrient management
practices.

6. Norms of scheme:
• Card to carry crop wise recommendations of nutrients /
fertilisers for different soil types.
• Details will be displayed on the basis of soil tests Help
farmers in judicious use of fertilisers .organic matter s
and water.
• Card to be issued for all 14 crore farmland holdings in
three years .
• Soil samples for testing to be drawn in a grid of 2.5
hectare in irrigated areas .

7. Will the farmer get a card every year and for every crop?
It will be made available once in a cycle of 3 years, which will indicate
the status of soil health of a farmer’s holding for that particular period.
The SHC given in the next cycle of 3 years will be able to record the
changes in the soil health for that subsequent period.
What are the norms of sampling?
Soil samples will be drawn in a grid of 2.5 ha in irrigated area and 10
ha in rain- fed area with the help of GPS tools and revenue maps.
Who will draw the soil sample?
The State Government will collect samples through the staff of their
Department of Agriculture or through the staff of an outsourced
agency. The State Government may also involve the students of local
Agriculture / Science Colleges.

8. What is the ideal time for soil sampling?
Soil Samples are taken generally two times in a year, after harvesting of
Rabi and Kharif Crop respectively or when there is no standing crop in
the field.
How will soil samples be collected from a farmer’s field?
Soil Samples will be collected by a trained person from a depth of 15-20
cm by cutting the soil in a “V” shape. It will be collected from four
corners and the center of the field and mixed thoroughly and a part of this
picked up as a sample. Areas with shade will be avoided. The sample
chosen will be bagged and coded. It will then be transferred to soil test
laboratory for analysis.
What is a soil test laboratory?
It is a facility for testing the soil sample for 12 parameters. This facility
can be static or mobile or it can even be portable to be used in remote
areas.

9. Who and Where will the soil sample be tested?
• The soil sample will be tested as per the approved standards for all the
agreed 12 parameters in the following way:
• At the STLs owned by the Department of Agriculture and by their
own staff.
• At the STLs owned by the Department of Agriculture but by the staff
of the outsourced agency.
• At the STLs owned by the outsourced agency and by their staff.
• At ICAR Institutions including KVKs and SAUs.
• At the laboratories of the Science Colleges/Universities by the
students under supervision of a Professor/ Scientist
What is the payment per sample?
A sum of Rs. 190 per soil sample is provided to State Governments. This
covers the cost of collection of soil sample, its test, generation and
distribution of soil health card to the farmer

10. PRESENT SCENARIO:
• During cycle –I (2015-17), 10.74 crore Soil Health Cards and during
cycle – II (2017-19), 11.74 crore Soil Health Cards have been
distributed to farmers.
• The Government has spent more than Rs.700 crores on the SHC
scheme since its launch five years ago.
• So far 429 new static Soil Testing Labs (STLs), 102 new mobile
STLs, 8752 mini STLs and 1562 village level STLs have been
sanctioned under the scheme since 2014-15.
• Out of these sanctioned labs, 129 new static Soil Testing Labs
(STLs), 86 new mobile STLs, 6498 mini STLs and 179 village level
STLs are already established.

11. • The Government is also implementing the Nutrient Based
Subsidy (NBS) scheme and promoting customized and
fortified fertilizers for balanced use of fertilizers.
• The recommended subsidy rates (in Rs./Kg) fixed during the
year 2019-20 for N, P, K & S are Rs.18.901, 15.216, 11.124
and 3.562 respectively. In order to overcome the deficiency
of micronutrients in soil and to encourage their application
along with primary nutrients, additional subsidy on Boron
and Zinc has also been provided @ Rs.300/- and Rs.500/-
per tonne respectively.
• So far, 21 fertilizers have been brought under the NBS
scheme. Presently, 35 customized and 25 fortified fertilizers
notified by the Government are in use.

12. • So far 6,954 villages have been identified by the States in which
against the target of 26.83 lakh samples / Soil Health Cards, 21.00
lakh samples have been collected, 14.75 lakh samples analysed
and 13.59 lakh cards distributed to farmers. Apart from this
2,46,979 demonstrations and 6,951 Farmer Melas approved to
States.
• During the next five years, it is proposed to cover four lakh
villages under individual farm holding soil sampling & testing,
organize 2.5 lakh demonstrations, setting up of 250 village level
soil testing labs, strengthening 200 soil testing labs with
Intensively Coupled Plasma (ICP) spectrophotometer and
promotion of micro-nutrients in 2 lakh hectare area.