MARGAO
An assessment conducted by the ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning on soil fertility in Goa has shown that Pernem and Bicholim talukas have extremely severe potential soil losses, accounting for 4.1 per cent area of the State.
Comparatively, parts of Satari, Salcete, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona talukas have moderate soil erosion and moderately severe potential soil losses accounting for 8.8 and 8.9 per cent respectively in the State.
The talukas of Pernem, Bardez, Bicholim, Sattari, Tiswadi, Ponda, Quepem and Sanguem have severe and very severe potential losses accounting for an area of 26.9 per cent and 22 per cent of the State, respectively.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar stated the assessment report to the Rajya Sabha to an unstarred question tabled by Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro.
The Minister informed that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)- Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute Goa has studied soil health degradation and management from important horticultural crops like Cashew, Mango and Coconut.
“On average, soil loss from Cashew, Mango and Coconut cropping systems were 24, 12.6 and 10.5 tonnes/hectare/year, respectively. The runoff loss as a percentage of rainfall in Cashew, Mango and Coconut cropping systems were 23% 32.1% and 23.8%. The nutrient loss from Cashew, Mango and Coconut cropping systems were 35.8, 76.4 and 62.1 kg nitrogen (N)/hectare, 1.9, 13.8 and 10.9 kg phosphorus (P)/hectare (P) and 52,33.6 and 19.3 kg potassium (K) hectare, respectively,” the reply stated.
The Minister gave this reply in response to an unstarred question tabled by Faleiro seeking to know whether any soil health management studies are conducted in Goa with respect to major crops of rice, Coconut, Cashew, areca nuts, mango, spices etc, the findings of soil degradation in Goa and whether there are any recommended technologies to remedy the invasion of saline water, soil erosion, physical degradation, chemical degradation, biological degradation etc.
The Minister further said that the Central government is implementing a National Project on the Management of Soil Health & Fertility (Soil Health Card/Soil Health Management), now, merged as the Soil Health & Fertility component of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme through the State government.
“The main objective of the scheme is to assist states in promoting Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through judicious use of chemical fertilizers including secondary and micronutrients in conjunction with organic manures and bio-fertilizers for improving soil health and its productivity,” he said, adding, “Under this scheme, testing of soil samples is done to issue Soil Health Cards. Soil Health Card provides information to farmers on soil nutrient status of their soil and recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.”
