Punjab Launches 3rd Hi-Tech Testing Lab in Mohali to Protect Farmers

• by Akanksha Mishra
• 2026-10-13 15:58:00

In a decisive move to protect the farming community from substandard and counterfeit agricultural inputs, the Punjab government has launched its third state-of-the-art biofertilizer quality control laboratory at Kalkat Bhawan in Mohali. Inaugurated by Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Monday, the new facility completes a strategic triangular testing network alongside existing centers in Bathinda and Gurdaspur, established with an aggregate expenditure of ₹4.50 crore. The advanced testing infrastructure arrives at a critical juncture as farmers across the agrarian state increasingly transition toward eco-friendly cultivation, creating an urgent regulatory necessity to weed out spurious commercial operators exploiting the rising demand for organic soil supplements.

Curbing Spurious Products: Quality Surveillance Meets 16,000 MT Annual Demand

With biofertilizer adoption expanding rapidly across the state's agricultural belts, rigorous scientific testing has become an urgent regulatory imperative:

Rising Consumption Demands Vigilance: Annual consumption of biofertilizers across Punjab has surged to between 15,000 and 16,000 metric tons (or kiloliters), driven by steady adoption of organic cultivation methods.

Tough Action Against Counterfeits: The Mohali facility provides high-precision testing to identify adulterated, substandard, or unviable microbial cultures sold under the guise of certified inputs.

Fertilizer Control Order Compliance: The Agriculture Department will deploy laboratory analytics to inspect manufacturing plants and commercial distributors, ensuring strict adherence to the statutory Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).

Restoring Soil Vitality and Reducing Chemical Dependence

The laboratory network is designed to play an instrumental role in rehabilitating agricultural land fatigued by decades of chemical saturation:

Lowering Synthetic Reliance: Establishing guaranteed quality benchmarks for microbial inoculants encourages growers to cut down on excessive urea and DAP applications without risking productivity losses.

Climate-Specific Inoculants: Scientific data generated by the three laboratories will assist researchers in formulating indigenous biofertilizers fine-tuned specifically to Punjab's unique agro-climatic conditions and cropping sequences.

Preserving Subsurface Ecosystems: High-viability biofertilizers protect beneficial microflora, enhance organic carbon retention, and rebuild soil fertility across the Malwa, Majha, and Doaba belts.

30,000 Acres Under Certified Organic Cover: Protecting India's Food Bowl

As one of the nation's foremost contributors to food security, the state is actively scaling sustainable agriculture to protect its water table and topsoil:

Expanding Certified Acreage: The Agriculture Minister announced that Punjab has brought approximately 30,000 acres under certified organic farming practices through the 2025-26 cultivation calendar.

Safeguarding National Granary Output: With the state accounting for more than 30% of India's aggregate wheat and rice output, maintaining high agronomic productivity demands durable environmental stewardship.

Sustainable Growth Roadmap: The government aims to integrate quality-assured organic farming inputs with comprehensive resource conservation, ensuring Punjab’s agrarian economy remains resilient for generations to come.

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