According to official data, over 41 crore farmers were issued soil health cards in the country till 2010-11.
The data presented by Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat in Parliament last week indicated that Uttar Pradesh with 8.7 crore soil health cards tops the list.
Karnataka is second with 5.7 crore followed by Andhra Pradesh with 3.8 crore and Gujarat 3.2 crore cards. Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Punjab and Orissa have also shown good performance. But major eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal are lagging behind so far. Jharkhand also does not have encouraging results as only 1.6 lakh farmers have received the cards there during the period.
The soil health card evaluates the health or quality of a soil as a function of its characteristics, water, plant and other biological properties. The card is a tool to help the farmer to monitor and improve soil health based on their own field experience and working knowledge of their soils.