Soil Health Card Scheme (under RKVY)

Why every farmer needs an SHC

India consumes about 32 million tonnes of urea, 10 million tonnes of DAP and 4 million tonnes of MOP per year — but NPK ratios are wildly skewed (urea is over-applied; sulphur and micronutrients are under-applied) because most fertiliser is bought on tradition rather than testing. ICAR-IISS estimates that 60-70 % of Indian soils are deficient in nitrogen, 40-50 % in phosphorus, 30 % in potassium, 40 % in sulphur, and 30 % in zinc — meaning farmers routinely under-apply the nutrients that limit yield. The Soil Health Card programme delivers farm-specific test results that translate directly into rupee-saving fertiliser decisions.

The 12 parameters

Each card reports primary nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), secondary nutrient (Sulphur), micronutrients (Zinc, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Boron), and three physical chemistry parameters: pH (acidity / alkalinity), EC (salinity), and Organic Carbon (a proxy for biological activity). Each is reported with a status code (Very Low / Low / Medium / High / Very High) against ICAR-recommended reference ranges.

How testing is done

1. Soil sample collected from a 2.5 ha grid (rainfed) or 10 ha grid (irrigated) by a state Soil Testing Lab (STL) extension officer; the farmer's land record is georeferenced to a grid cell.
2. Sample composited from 8-10 sub-sample points across the field, dried under shade, sieved, and analysed in the STL.
3. Result digitised into the SHC portal; SMS notification triggers the farmer to download the card or collect a printed copy from the village Agriculture Officer.
4. Crop-wise fertiliser dose recommendation (kg/ha N, P, K + micronutrients) is computed from a built-in STCR (Soil Test Crop Response) calculator.

Progress as of Feb 2025

• 24.74 crore cards issued since launch.
• 8,272 Soil Testing Labs operational.
• ₹1,706.18 crore cumulative release.
• New revamped GIS portal (2024) shows soil status of adjacent grids — useful for FPOs planning cluster cropping.

Status change since 2022-23

SHC ceased to be a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme from 2022-23 and is now a sub-component of RKVY Soil Health & Fertility. Funding pattern remains 60:40 (Centre:State) with 90:10 for NE/Himalayan states.

How to get yours — step by step

1. Walk into your block's Krishi Bhavan / Agriculture Office; submit Aadhaar, mobile number and khasra/ survey number. Some states accept online application on soilhealth.dac.gov.in.
2. STL (Soil Testing Lab) sampler visits during the off-season window — typically March — May or October — November — and collects composite samples from a 2.5 ha (rainfed) or 10 ha (irrigated) grid.
3. Sample is geotagged at collection; STL processes the sample within 21 — 30 days.
4. Result is digitised on the SHC portal; SMS sent to registered mobile when card is ready.
5. Farmer downloads PDF or collects printed card from the block Agriculture Officer; card lists status codes for 12 parameters and crop-wise dose recommendations.
6. Validity 2 years; for the second cycle, the same sampling routine repeats and the new card overlays change from the previous.

Latest changes (2024 — 2026)

• April 2024: Revamped GIS portal launched — farmers can now view soil status of adjacent grids, useful for FPO cluster cropping.
• August 2024: STL network expanded; mobile mini-labs (Mobile STLs) added in 200+ blocks with no permanent facility.
• December 2024: SHC data integrated with the AgriStack Farmer ID — every Farmer ID- linked landholding can be queried for the most recent SHC reading.
• February 2025: 24.74 crore cards issued cumulatively; 8,272 STLs operational; ₹1,706.18 crore cumulative central release.
• 2025-26: Convergence with PM-PRANAM (Promotion of Alternative Nutrients) — states with reducing chemical-fertiliser footprint receive additional grants based on SHC-tracked OC and balanced-nutrient adoption.

Common reasons farmers don't get useful cards

• Sample not collected in the registered khasra: grid-level sampling means individual parcels may not be tested; ask the STL for a farm-specific reading at a marginal user-pay charge.
• Composite sampling masked anomalies: problem patches (saline spots, compacted areas) are averaged out; request separate sampling for problem zones.
• Card not received via SMS: mobile number mismatch between SHC registration and Aadhaar blocks delivery; update at the block office.
• Dose recommendation generic: STCR calculator uses crop-state default if farmer crop choice not registered; specify crop before sampling for tailored advisory.
• Card not actionable: many farmers receive cards but don't adjust fertiliser spend — extension agents (Krishi Sakhi, ATMA BTM) should walk the farmer through the recommendation.

Grievance escalation: Block Agriculture Officer → District Agriculture Officer → State Director of Agriculture. The soilhealth.dac.gov.in portal hosts a public grievance redress tab linked to CPGRAMS.

Coverage statistics

Per MoA&FW data tabled in Parliament during the 2024 Winter Session, cumulative cards issued crossed 24.74 crore since the scheme's launch in 2015, with 8,272 operational Soil Testing Labs (including static, mini, mobile and village-level labs). Annual sampling under the merged RKVY Soil Health & Fertility sub-component continues at approximately 2.5 — 3 crore samples per cycle. Coverage is highest in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan; uptake of card-based fertiliser-dose adoption is uneven across states — ICAR field studies report 20 — 30 % adoption among card-holders, which is the highest-leverage area for extension agents.

How SHC interacts with other schemes

SHC is the diagnostic layer that feeds nearly every input-related scheme. PKVY uses the SHC OC reading as a baseline to track organic- carbon build-up over a 3-year organic-farming cycle. NMNF (National Mission on Natural Farming) similarly uses OC and microbial activity as outcome metrics. PM-PRANAM incentivises states to reduce urea consumption, tracked against SHC-based recommended doses. Convergence with NFSM dose-prescriptions and with Krishi Sakhi-led demonstrations ties SHC's diagnostic into actionable farmer-level intervention.

Related

• STCR fertiliser calculator — convert SHC reading to actual urea/DAP/MOP doses.
• PKVY — uses SHC baseline to track OC build-up under organic farming.
• NMNF.