KOCHI: The soil testing laboratories set up by the Agricultural Department to facilitate better farming are reportedly testing the patience of the rural farmers in the north Malabar districts as the officials make them wait for weeks before handing the test results. “The farmers have to wait for weeks once the sample is given for testing. Often, there will not be any staff at the laboratory when we bring samples for testing,” said Pullaikudi Chandran, Kannur district president of Kerala Karshaka Sangham. He added that there was little awareness among the farmers about the benefits of soil testing. He further pointed out that the mobile testing laboratory of the Agriculture Department had failed to reach the small-scale farmers as the vans seldom visited rural areas.“It takes weeks for the results to come. Most of us have our own way of cultivation and we don’t depend on these tests,” said Abdurahiman, a farmer from Kasargod.Assistant principal agricultural officer in Kannur P Pradeep also endorsed the views of Chandran, saying that there was a delay in the results. “There could be a delay of about 2 weeks at the stationary lab,” he said.However, he said that there was no delay with the mobile labs which serve both Kasargod and Kannur districts, adding that the laboratory received around 8,000 samples a year.
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