IMPHAL, Aug 26: Agriculture Minister N. Loken today announced that the Agriculture department will bring out a Soil Map of Manipur within 2011 May, to help farmers recognize the right type of method to apply on their particular farm.
The announcement was made today by the Minister during the inaugural function of a two-day training programme on Soil Testing for Soil Testing Laboratory Staff and field functionaries on Soil testing held at the Directorate of Agriculture, Sanjenthong. The programme was held as a part of the production of the Soil Map plan.
The Minister further in his speech said that the participants who attend the training will be dispatched to the entire districts of Manipur after receiving deliberate tips from the resource persons and after survey of the particular area. The reports will be submitted to the department in order to use them in the producing of the Soil Map.
While asserting that apart from introduction of new technology in farming, soil testing is the most important part which enables the farmers to apply right technique after recognizing the right type and is also a key to good production.
The government has provision of establishing soil testing labs in the hills, but the implementation of the lab could not be made possible all this time due to shortage of manpower and law and order situation, said the Minister. At the same time he contended that a mobile team is doing the job in the hill area, adding the lab in the valley area cannot be fully functional.
The existing lab at Mantripukhri will be shifted to Farm Mechanise Lamphel as the place will be used for building quarters for the Guwahati High court, said Loken. The Minister further in his speech expressed resentment over the reports in a local media wherein the agriculture department has been criticized as conducting only paper work.
The resource persons during the technical session highlighted on the topics of importance of soil testing for sustainable crop production, method of Analysis of Soil, Laboratory Analytical works etc.
The Commissioner of Agriculture, Director and other officials of the Agriculture department also attended the programme.