Farmers may consider soil testing expensive. However, with its numerous benefits, it turns out to be cheaper than it seems, according to Isabellah Kamwine, a laboratory technician at Jabba Engineering Ltd, Iganga branch.
She adds that in soil testing, there are three categories — A, B and C.
Category A is called basic testing, which is mainly for farmers with common crops, such as maize, beans and ground nuts.
Here, they test for mainly three nutrients — nitrogen (n), phosphorus (p) and potassium (k), alongside the pH, which is the acidity or alkalinity of the soil and its texture. A sample costs sh60,000.
For category B, in addition to basic testing, they test for additional minerals (sulphur, magnesium and calcium). A sample goes for sh80,000.
Category C is comprehensive testing. Here, components — macro and micro nutrients — are tested. It costs sh150,000 per sample.
“The experts pick the samples depending on the features on our land, like the topography, vegetation and the type of crops grown, such as coffee and beans. This is why there are cases where one sample will be picked from five acres and about three others from two. The average of a sample is between two and three,” she says.
Ezamukama notes that they have laboratories countrywide (Iganga, Gulu, Mubende, Mbale, Bushenyi. Kampala is the head office) plus two outlets in Kasese and Kabale.
Having numerous outlets quickens the testing, such that in about 24 hours, a farmer can get their result and advice. For the testing, two systems — photometric and tabular — are used.
He adds that for commercial farmers, when one is to apply fertilisers, be it top dressing, they have to test the status of their soil before buying. However, for common farmers, they can use one report for a whole year.
