Three agri-related laboratories in Dimapur to be functional next month

Dimapur, Nov. 16 (EMN): Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), Y Kikheto Sema visited District Soil Conservation Office in Dimapur to take stock of three laboratories being set up in Dimapur under Soil Health Management programme of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture during 2019-20.

An update from state nodal officer, Soil Health Management, informed that Soil Testing Laboratory (STL), Bio-fertiliser Quality Control Laboratory (BQCL) and Fertiliser Quality Control Laboratory (FQCL) will be commissioned by the end of this year.

The successful establishment of these laboratories will be a Christmas gift to the people of Nagaland which will revolutionise the agriculture trend in the state, a modern vibrant emerging technology for the sustainable traditional organic hill agriculture,” Sema was quoted as say8ing.

While interacting with the departmental officials, the officer expressed concern over availability of trained personnel in the department for handling sophisticated equipment such as Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). He advised the departmental officials to arrange intensive training programme from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, and Indian Institute of Soil Sciences (IISS), Bhopal which can be taken up under RKVY programme, so that young talented officers of the department can handle this scientific undertaking.

Sema said that after such laboratories are set up in all the districts, the Agri & Allied departments would insist on Soil Health Card (SHC) for the farmers to implement any schemes as it’s not conducive to take up farming without knowing the status of soil.

Considering this issue, the government is planning to install mini-STLs in all 74 blocks of the state in order to provide SHCs at the doorsteps of the farming community. The government is also contemplating to procure three mobile STLs in the coming year in order to reach even the remotest and inaccessible villages, the update stated.

It went on to state that to maintain the health of the soil and prevent soil health deterioration, the government will provide micronutrients to the farmers after getting the soil tested in the AAS. For the macronutrients, secondary nutrients and other amendments, various measures are being taken care of. 

Rhe government is planning to set up bio fertiliser production units in certain strategic locations to not only attend to the needs of the local populace but also export organic products to other states, it added.

‘With regard to BQCL and FQCL, in the future, all the Fertilisers and Biofertilisers crossing Dimapur should get tested from these laboratories to ascertain whether the prescribed quality content is fulfilled. For which, these laboratories should be able to certify the products to pass through any check posts throughout the state,’ the update further informed.