Kalimpong, May 24: A one-day workshop for farmers today marked the reopening of the subdivision’s soil testing laboratory which has been closed for over a decade.

Today’s workshop was the first of its kind in the hills after the Gorkhaland agitation.

“The one-day workshop on soil testing today can be said to be the inaugural programme for the laboratory here. There are only around five to six soil testing laboratories in West Bengal and we are fortunate to have one in Kalimpong,” said subdivisional agriculture officer Dinesh Sundas, who is also in-charge of the laboratory.

The laboratory is the only one of its kind in the hills.“The soil testing laboratory has been non-functional for around 13 years. From today, it will function fully with funds obtained from the DGHC,” said Sundas.

The laboratory, which will now function under the DGHC, had been established in the mid-seventies. It was shut down during the Gorkhaland agitation and much of the equipment was subsequently damaged. After the closure of the laboratory, soil testing for Darjeeling district was being done at Cooch Behar.

“The main objective of this workshop is to publicise the reopening of the laboratory. The work done here will not just benefit farmers in the subdivision, but also those from Darjeeling and Kurseong. People in the area can now avail of testing facilities through block-level agriculture officers,” said Sundas.

Agriculture officers in the area said scientific study of soil was crucial to increasing crop productivity. Of late, productivity levels of ginger, orange and vegetables has dropped. Heavy rainfall in the hills routinely washes off topsoil.

“To compensate the loss of the nutrients in the topsoil, the farmers here use only cow dung, which is not enough. They need to have the soil tested to find out what fertilisers need to be used. This will not only increase the yield, but also protect the crops from disease,” said Sundas.

Today’s workshop focussed on soil-collection methods and matching crops with soil types. An overhead projector showed farmers the procedure of soil collection for the purpose of testing.

“The soil must be collected according to the crop the farmer is cultivating. If the crop is sugarcane they will have to send samples ranging from six to 12 inches. For another crop the requirement will be different,” said Sundas.