Soil day celebrations at Kanakakunnu

Thiruvananthapuram: The state soil survey and conservation department will conclude its massive soil awareness day campaigns being held as a part of World Soil Day on Monday. A kit containing samples of all types of soil in India will be given away to farmers and children at a special event Kanakakunnu palace. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event which will be attended by  Minister of Agriculture V.S. Sunil Kumar. A variety of programmes, including exhibition and seminars on soil, will be conducted.

Various department-level study reports on soil-related issues at Mangalapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, Mukkunnoor in Ernakulam, Pooyappally in Kollam, Mannar in Alappuzha and Aymanam in Kottayam will be submitted. Further, a special soil day postal stamp will launched. Every year, World Soil Day is celebrated on December 5 under the aegis of UN Food and Agricultural Organisation.

The day coincides with the birthday of Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who worked to raise awareness on soil across the globe. “The vegetation and life on the planet is dependent on soil. Our industries also heavily depend on soil. We plan to raise awareness about the importance of soil on the day,” said Justin Mohan,  director of soil survey and conservation department.