Union Agriculture Minister launches PGS-India, Soil Health Card and FQCS Web Portals

Union Agriculture Minister launches PGS-India, Soil Health Card and FQCS Web Portals

Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture Minister launched 3 web portals viz. Soil Health Card portal, Fertiliser Quality Control System portal and Participatory Guarantee System – India portal here today. Ministers of States for Agriculture, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and Shri Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya is also present on the occasion.

Shri Singh informed the press about the details and functioning of the web portals. The details about the portals is as follows:

Soil Health Card Portal: (To view State wise data on Soil Health Card, click here.)

Under the scheme, Soil Health Card portal has been developed for registration of soil samples, recording test results of soil samples and generation of Soil Health Card (SHC) along with Fertilizer Recommendations. This is a single, generic, uniform, web based software accessed at the URL www.soilhealth.dac.gov.in . It is a workflow based application with following major modules; (i) Soil Samples Registration (ii) Test Result Entry by Soil Testing Labs (iii) Fertilizer Recommendations based on STCR and GFR (iv) Soil Health Card generation along with Fertilizer Recommendation and micronutrient suggestions (v) MIS module for monitoring progress

It promotes uniform adoptions of codes for e.g. Census Codes for locations. The system has sample tracking feature and will provide alerts to farmers about sample registration and generation of Soil Health Card through SMS and Email.

Soil Health Card portal aims to generate and issue Soil Health Cards based on either Soil Test-Crop Response (STCR) formulae developed by ICAR or General Fertilizer Recommendations provided by State Governments. Based on test results, these recommendations will be calculated automatically by the system.  Micronutrients suggestions will also be provided by the system.

The System envisages building up a single national database on soil health for future use in research and planning.  

Funding:

            The scheme has been approved for implementation during 12^th Plan with an outlay of Rs.568.54 crore.  For the current year (2015-16) an allocation of Rs.96.46 crore (GOI share) has been made.  The scheme will be implemented on 50:50 sharing pattern between GOI and State Governments.

At present, general fertilizer recommendations are followed by farmers for primary nutrients (N, P & K). However, secondary and micro nutrients are often overlooked leading to deficiency of nutrients like Sulphur, Zinc and Boron. This has become a limiting factor in increasing food productivity. Keeping this in view, Government of India is promoting soil test based balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers, along with bio-fertilizers and locally available organic manures.

            Government of India provides assistance to State Governments for setting up / strengthening of soil testing laboratories. Some of the States were issuing Soil Health Card but there was no uniform norm for sampling, testing and distribution of Soil Health Cards across the States. It is for the first time that Government of India has launched Soil Health Card scheme to cover 14 crore holdings once in a cycle of 3 years to promote soil management practices and restore soil health.

            The SHC scheme will provide assistance to State Governments to issue Soil Health Cards and also to develop a database to improve service delivery. It supplements the ongoing scheme to create/strengthen capacity in terms of rapid and low cost diagnostic techniques, mobile laboratories, portable soil testing kits and referral labs.  It provides improved and targeted guidelines to manage deficiencies and scientific expertise in diagnostic and management of nutrients deficiencies.

            Nationally agreed norms / standards of 10 ha for rainfed areas and 2.5 ha for irrigated areas will be applied for soil sample collection. By implication, a total of 2.53 crore samples will be collected and tested to generate 14 crore soil health cards to individual farmers, once in 3 years.  The target for the year 2015-16 is 84 lakh of samples, against which 34 lakh samples have already been collected.

In order to mobilize manpower and soil test infrastructure, the DAC is pooling the resources of ICAR and also that of State Governments.  Thus all ICAR institutions including KVKs, State Government laboratories and State Agriculture Universities will be participating in this important national programme.  It is also proposed to facilitate participation by the students of science colleges and chemistry departments of the general universities under the banner of ‘earn while you learn’.  Suitable guidelines will be issued to this effect.  

Fertilizer Quality Control System Portal:

Fertilizer Quality Control System (FQCS) is a web based and configurable workflow application developed by NIC for processing of sample collection, testing and generation of analysis reports. The application can be accessed at the URL http://www.fqcs.dac.gov.in.

The fertilizer inspectors of CFQC&TI and RFCLs draw samples of imported fertilizers at the ports as per sampling procedures laid down in the FCO, assign a code number  to the sample and obtain acknowledgement from the importer on Form J. The sample is sent to the Central Coding Office (CFQC&TI) along with Form K. The Central Coding Officer then assigns a new code no. to the sample and sends the sample for analysis to the laboratory. This ensures anonymity and confidentiality of the sample.  The sample is analyzed by the qualified analyst and submits the report to the concerned laboratory-in-charge. On receipt of the analysis report from the laboratory, the Central Coding Office decodes with respect to the original code no. and prepares analysis report in Form L. The analysis report is then dispatched to all the concerned agencies.

            The FQCS application will lead to automation of most of the manual activities as listed above and help in online tracking the status of the sample. Mobile application has also been provided to enable inspectors to enter the details of the samples in Form J while at the ports itself. The role based access to the system for users and computerized generation of sample code no. have been provided for the purpose of security.

In the first phase, the system will be implemented in CFQC&TI and its three RFCLs. Subsequently, the system will be extended to all the State Quality Control laboratories.

                Fertilizers play an important role in catalyzing agriculture productivity of the soil.  To ensure availability of quality fertilisers to farmers, the fertiliser was declared as an essential commodity in 1957.   In sequel, the Fertiliser (Control) Order (FCO) was promulgated in March 1957 under section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955 to regulate quality, trade and distribution of fertilisers in the country. The FCO has since been revised and re-enacted in the year 1985.

                The FCO provides for specification of all fertilizers manufactured or imported and sold in the country; compulsory registration of fertilizer manufacturers, importers and dealers; methods of sampling and analysis of fertilizers; appointment of fertilizer inspectors; establishment of Fertiliser Quality Control Laboratories; and restrictions on the manufacture/import and sale of fertilizers not in conformity with the laid down specifications.

At present, there are 78 notified Fertilizer Quality Control Laboratories (FQCLs) in the country. Out of these, 4 laboratories viz. Central Fertilizer Quality Control & Training Institute (CFQC&TI) and its three Regional Fertilizer Control Laboratories (RFCLs) located at Navi Mumbai, Chennai and Kalyani are under the control of Central Government and the remaining are under the control of different State Governments.

            India imports large quantity of various fertilizers to meet the demands. About 25-30% of the requirement of Urea, 90% of the requirement of DAP and 100% of the requirement of MOP are met by imports. The CFQC&TI and its three RFCLs are assigned the responsibility to check the quality of imported fertilizers. The laboratories of the State Governments check the quality of fertilisers by drawing samples from indigenous sources viz. manufacturing units, retailers/wholesalers, godowns etc.

Participatory Guarantee System – India Portal:

Participatory Guarantee System is a process of certifying organic products which ensures agriculture production process in accordance with the standards laid down for organic products and that desired quality has been maintained.  This is exhibited in the form of documented logo or a statement. In order to promote domestic organic market growth and also to enable small and marginal farmer to have easy access to organic certification, a decentralized organic farming certification system called Participatory Guarantee System –India (PGS-India) is implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.  It is cost effective, farmer- friendly and hassle-free.   It is outside the framework of third party system of certification, which is a pre-requisite to enter export market of organic produce. 

It is a quality assurance initiative that is locally relevant with active participation of stakeholders including producers/farmers, traders and consumers in certification system.  This group certification system is supported by Paramaparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) scheme.   It in a way supports domestic demand for organic produce and trains the farmers in document management and adherence to other requirements of certification process and prepares him to opt for third party certification, if he wishes to go for export.

For online operation of this certification system a web portal :http://www.pgsindia-ncof.gov.in has been created.  This web portal has online facility for (i) Registration (ii) Approval (iii) Documentation (iv) Record of inspection and (v) certification. It will promote transparency in certification process. It will lead to creation of a database of (i) Organic producers and (ii) area under PGS certification with due traceability.