LAHORE, Jul 28 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday launched the “Lab on Wheels” project to provide farmers with scientific soil and water testing services at their doorsteps, marking another step towards promoting digital agriculture in the province. Under the initiative, farmers will be able to request a mobile laboratory through a single call. Field teams will visit farms to collect soil and water samples, conduct on-site scientific analysis …
CM Maryam launches ‘Lab on Wheels’ project for on-site soil testing
LAHORE, Jul 28 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday launched the “Lab on Wheels” project to provide farmers with scientific soil and water testing services at their doorsteps, marking another step towards promoting digital agriculture in the province.
Under the initiative, farmers will be able to request a mobile laboratory through a single call. Field teams will visit farms to collect soil and water samples, conduct on-site scientific analysis and issue test reports immediately along with expert recommendations.
The CM said accurate soil assessment and balanced use of fertilisers were vital for achieving agricultural self-sufficiency. She said the Punjab government was transforming agriculture from conventional practices to a scientific and digital model aimed at reducing production costs and increasing per-acre farm income.
The mobile laboratories will measure soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) while analysing essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK). Test results will be uploaded instantly through a mobile application, enabling immediate generation of scientific reports.
According to a briefing, each report will include recommendations on suitable crops and fertiliser requirements based on soil conditions. Farmers will receive digital copies of the reports through SMS and WhatsApp, allowing easy access to soil and water analysis on their mobile phones. Agricultural experts will also provide on-site advisory services.
Officials informed the chief minister that a central control room had been established to ensure transparency and effective monitoring of the project. All mobile laboratories would be tracked through GPS, while live camera streaming and dashboard monitoring systems would assess the performance of field teams in real time.
The briefing added that farmers’ requests would be registered promptly and mobile laboratory visits would be scheduled after approval by the district laboratory in-charge. A mobile application would also ensure on-site attendance registration of field staff.
Officials said the initiative would help improve soil health through balanced fertiliser use, lower production costs and provide farmers with technical guidance on crop management at their doorsteps.
They further informed the chief minister that a digital GPS-based soil map of Punjab would be developed through real-time cloud data storage. Under the project, the government had set annual targets of collecting 20,000 soil samples, organising 500 farmers’ field days and providing training to 15,000 farmers each year.
