CHENNAI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday launched a new web portal - http://tnagriculture.in/mannvalam - to encourage farmers to use appropriate fertiliser for their land, knowing the type and quality of the soil. With the help of the portal, the farmers can reduce the cultivation cost, increase the yield, and protect soil fertility.
The web portal provides soil classification of Tamil Nadu and has a map of surface soil texture across southern India and in particular parts of the state. Through the portal, the soil texture in a particular area - like sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay, clay, rockland, miscellaneous land, water bodies, settlements, river/stream, etc - could be known.
To know the soil nutrient status, the farmers just have to provide the details about their exact location. They will be given a soil health card after the soil test is over. Through the District Soil Health Dashboard, the farmers will be able to know the nutrient status of their land in each district. For example, the land in the Ariyalur district has low amount of nitrogen and organic carbon while they are neutral in acidic/alkalinity and harmless in electrical conductivity.
The soil type of each district can also be known using the website. For example, Tiruvallur district has red sandy loam, clay loam, and saline coastal alluvium. Paddy, pearl millet, black gram, gingelly, finger millet, groundnut, red gram, sugarcane, and mango are cultivated in the district.
The website has details about the importance of knowing soil fertility and details about essential plant nutrients and favourable fertilisers. The website also gives details of soil testing laboratories, their locations, how to do soil surveys, bio fertiliser production units, and the like. On the occasion, Stalin also released a coffee table book on the importance of palm trees.
Soil is one of the most important non-renewable basic resources on the earth’s surface. About 39.34% area in the state has red soil, 37.89% has brown, 16.38% has black, 3.51% has grey, 2.03% has mixed soil, and 0.86% has alluvial soil.
The website also has details about the liquid bio fertiliser production units in the state. The Chief Minister also inaugurated new facilities for the agriculture department built at a cost of Rs 68.83 crore. They include agriculture extension centres, office buildings, godowns, regulated markets and the like.
Besides, the chief minister released a coffee-table book titled Nette Nette Panaimarame which tells the uses of palm trees and how every part of it is useful for humans in some or another way.
On the occasion, Stalin also inaugurated three Periyar Memorial Samathuvapurams at - Ramasamudram panchayat in Tiruvallur district, Tholar panchayat in Cuddalore district, and Kattukulam panchayat in Tiruchy district renovated at a cost of Rs 3.12 crore, five panchayat union officers constructed at a total cost of Rs 34.76 crore etc, through video conference from the secretariat.