Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of the state-level World Soil Day celebration held at the Krushi Bhavan auditorium Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo highlighted the importance of adopting organic manure and fertilisers as alternatives to chemical products to enhance productivity and soil health. Addressing attendees on the 2024 theme, ‘Caring for Soil: Measure, Monitor, Manage’, Singh Deo emphasised that the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides not only harms soil health but also poses long-term health risks, including cancer, for consumers. “People often turn to these chemicals for higher production and profit.
However, this practice is deteriorating soil health and reducing productivity over time, which impacts human well-being,” he stated. The event also featured the release of a book titled ‘Odishara Murtika Samasya ebong Tara Parichalana’, authored by agricultural scientists Subodh Kumar Sahu and Rabindra Kumar Nayak. Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department principal secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee underlined the significance of balanced fertiliser application and organic farming methods to maintain soil health. He recommended preventing soil erosion, reducing the unnecessary use of fertilisers, and embracing sustainable soil management practices.
Agriculture director Prem Chandra Choudhury, welcomed participants and discussed soil health management strategies, while director of Horticulture and Soil Conservation Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, addressed soil degradation and restoration efforts in Odisha. The event concluded with the distribution of ‘Soil Health Cards’ to five farmers and a vote of thanks by Joint Director of Agriculture, Basanta Kumar Dey.
