Balangir: Senior scientist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Balangir, Ashish Das, cautioned the farmers that excess use of chemical fertilisers had led to deterioration of the health of soil.

The worsening of soil has taken a toll on the production of crops, as there has been a sharp fall in yield over the years. "Crop production has recorded a sharp fall over the years. In 60s, 25kg of crops could be produced by using of 1kg of fertiliser. Now, only 8kg of crops can be grown using the same amount of fertiliser. This shows that the soil health has deteriorated," Das said.

The senior scientist advised the farmers to test the soil of their land before taking up any cultivation. "They should find out how much fertiliser is exactly required for the land," Das said.

The scientist was addressing the farmers at an event on World Soil Day organised at the office of the deputy director of agriculture of Balangir, Sridhara Das, on Tuesday. About 350 farmers from across the district attended the event, which was jointly organised by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and agriculture department of Balangir.

Sridhara Das called upon the farmers to adopt techniques and plan of cultivation based on the health of the soil. "Farmers should take up techniques and plan for cultivation depending on the soil status. For this they need to test the soil at regular intervals," he said. The farmers should make best use of the mobile soil testing van, which is at their disposal. The van is available round the year in the district. Farmers should make best use of the mobile laboratory," he further added.

District collector Ashish Thakre emphasised upon cultivation of non-paddy crop during ensuing Ravi season. "The farmers can take up cultivation of non-paddy crop where availability of water is not an issue," he said.

Chairperson of Balangir zilla parishad, Bharati Mahanand, who inaugurated the event stressed upon minimum use of chemical fertilisers. "Chemical fertilisers have not only destroyed the health of soil, but it has polluted the environment as well," she said.