Mobile soil van conducting health test of farm land to asses condition

Kolkata: The state Agriculture department has started using mobile soil van at different parts of South 24-Parganas to assess whether the soil condition is fit for cultivation of Aman paddy.

The move assumes significance as saline water has sneaked into the agricultural lands when Amphan wreaked havoc in the state on May 20.

As per assessment of the state government, saline water has sneaked into 58,262 hectares of land in nine coastal blocks of South 24-Parganas that covers 216 mouzas. 18 lakh farmers have been affected because of this natural calamity.

Around 45,000 hectares of agriculture land has been affected with the entry of saline water in the district.

The soil testing van will test the soil condition and accordingly the state will decide what type of seeds willl be sowed on that particular land.

The blocks that will be covered includes Gosaba, Basanti, Canning , Kultali , Patharpratima, Namkhana, Kakdwip , Sagar, Mathurapur II and Canning.

"We are adhering to the advice of our research wing to ensure that farmers do not face any difficulty in cultivation. The distribution of a special type of seed that can withsatnd salinity of the soil is being offered to farmers," said Asish Baneejee, state Agriculture minister.

There was a time when agriculture was an impossible proposition on land where saline water has sneaked in. However, agricultural researchers in the state has come up with a special type of seed where agriculture can be carried out even in farmland where saline water has entered. "We have sufficient stock of seeds that can be

used in all agricultural land

that has been inundated

with saline water. The distribution process will begin this week itself," a senior official of the Agriculture department said.

Sources in the Agriculture department said that four varieties of seeds that can

withstand salinity of land has already reached North 24-Parganas.