RKVY Soil Health and Fertility - Village Level Soil Testing Lab

What is the RKVY Village Level Soil Testing Lab scheme?

RKVY Soil Health and Fertility - Village Level Soil Testing Lab is a component under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It supports the setting up of small soil testing laboratories in villages so that farmers can get their soil tested near their fields.

Soil testing tells a farmer how much nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients the soil holds, and therefore how much fertiliser is really needed. Testing at a district or block government laboratory often means travel, delay and cost. By funding village-level labs, the scheme brings this service closer to the farmer and, at the same time, creates a small business for a rural entrepreneur, self-help group or cooperative.

According to the scheme details, one-time financial assistance of Rs 1,50,000 is given to establish such a lab. The village lab feeds directly into the wider Soil Health Card programme, under which farmers receive a card carrying their soil's nutrient status and crop-wise fertiliser recommendations.

Key features

• One-time assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh to set up a village-level soil testing lab.
• Aimed at rural youth, agri-graduates, SHGs, PACS and community entrepreneurs.
• Brings soil testing to the village level, cutting farmers' cost and travel.
• Implemented by states under the RKVY umbrella.
• Supports the Soil Health Card programme with local testing capacity.

Who is eligible to set up a lab?

You can apply if you are:

• A rural youth who meets the age criteria set by your state (some states specify a young-entrepreneur age band; confirm the current band with your state).
• An agriculture graduate from a state agricultural university or equivalent.
• A self-help group (SHG), Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) or a registered community-based rural enterprise.

Preference and the exact age band are set by the state, since RKVY is implemented by the states. Check your state's notification for the current eligibility order.

You are not eligible / cannot apply if you:

• Are an individual farmer looking only to fund testing of your own soil - the money is to set up a lab, not to pay for personal soil tests.
• Do not meet the state's age, education or registration conditions for running the lab.
• Want to establish the lab outside the rural, village-level setting the scheme is meant for.

The scheme is about building village-level testing capacity as a small enterprise. Ordinary farmers are the ultimate beneficiaries - through cheaper, nearer testing and Soil Health Cards - but they are not the direct applicants for this grant.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Village Level Soil Testing Lab scheme

RKVY is implemented by the states, so there is no single national online form. The route runs through your state's agriculture machinery:

1. Contact your District Agriculture Officer or the RKVY nodal office to confirm whether your state is currently inviting applications for village-level soil testing labs and what the age and eligibility band is.
2. Prepare a setup proposal describing the lab location, the equipment you will buy, and how you will serve nearby farmers.
3. Submit the application with your identity and age proof, education or registration documents, bank details and the proposal, in the form the state notifies.
4. Get the proposal appraised by the state agriculture department, which sanctions the one-time assistance under RKVY.
5. Set up the lab and start testing, maintaining records and linking your results to the Soil Health Card system as directed by the department.

Confirm the exact current-year process and any online portal with your state agriculture department, since RKVY procedures differ from state to state.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

The scheme gives one-time financial assistance of Rs 1,50,000 to establish a village-level soil testing lab. This supports the cost of the small equipment and setup needed to test soil samples for basic nutrients. The lab operator can then provide soil testing to farmers in and around the village, earning from the service while helping farmers apply fertiliser more accurately.

The exact assistance pattern - whether the full Rs 1.5 lakh is a grant, and any matching contribution expected from the operator - is set out in the state's RKVY guidelines. Confirm this with your state agriculture department before you commit funds of your own.

Help and where to ask

RKVY is run by the states under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. For soil health and this lab component, contact your District Agriculture Officer or the state RKVY nodal office. Farmers and applicants can also reach the Kisan Call Centre on 1800-180-1551 for general guidance. The RKVY portal is at rkvy.da.gov.in and the Soil Health Card portal at soilhealth.dac.gov.in.