Check if a Mobile Soil and Water Lab Is Coming to Your Punjab District: 15 Districts on the List
Punjab plans 15 mobile labs to test soil and irrigation water on the farm and advise on fertiliser. See the 15 districts, the budget and what to do until then.
Short answer: Punjab's Agriculture Department plans 15 mobile laboratories that test soil and irrigation water on the farm and give fertiliser advice. They are listed for Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Toba Tek Singh, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad and Okara. The project runs to 2026-27, and no service date or fee has been published yet.
Take a soil sample to a district lab and you spend a day on the road, then wait 7 to 10 working days for a report. Now picture a van that drives to the edge of your field, tests the sample there and tells you how much urea and DAP to buy. That is what the department says it is building.
We read the Agriculture Department's page on its ongoing schemes on agripunjab.gov.pk on 12 October 2026. This article sets out the districts, the money and what a farmer should do while the vans are not yet on the road.
Fifteen districts are on the list, mostly in south Punjab
The department lists one mobile lab for each of 15 districts. The project is called Establishment of Mobile Laboratories under Soil Fertility Research Institute Punjab, Lahore, and it runs from 2025-26 to 2026-27. The labs are for on-site soil and water analysis and nutrient advice.
| Area | Districts on the list |
|---|---|
| Bahawalpur division | Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan |
| Multan division | Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal |
| Dera Ghazi Khan division | Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur |
| Faisalabad division | Toba Tek Singh |
| Lahore and Gujranwala divisions | Sheikhupura, Hafizabad |
| Sahiwal division | Okara |
Districts not on the list, such as Faisalabad, Lahore, Sargodha and Rawalpindi, are not forgotten. They already have fixed government labs.
The project is funded at Rs 736 million, with Rs 238 million for 2026-27
The department prints the total cost as Rs 736.409 million and the 2026-27 allocation as Rs 238.201 million. That is about Rs 0.74 billion in total. Fifteen vehicles and their equipment, plus the staff to run them, would be paid from this.
The same department's job page shows an advertisement for contract staff for this project, open from 4 August to 21 August 2026, now closed. So staff were being hired in August. We found no notice of a launch date or of the first district to be served.
What a mobile lab is meant to give a farmer
The page says the labs will do on-site soil and water analysis and a nutrient advisory. In plain words, you hand over a soil or water sample and get advice on which nutrients your field lacks and what to buy. The page does not list the tests, the turnaround time or a fee.
Fertiliser is expensive, so advice matters. The average bag prices are in DAP at Rs 17,128 a bag and urea at Rs 4,780, and wheat sowing is the season when most farmers buy. A test that shows your field needs less DAP than you planned pays for itself quickly.
Use the fixed labs until a van reaches your district
Do not wait for a van if you are sowing wheat in the next weeks. The fixed government labs are open now and are set out in getting your soil tested in Punjab. The accredited labs, including a cotton fibre test, are listed in getting a sample tested at a Punjab ISO lab.
- Take a mixed sample from several spots, not one handful, from the top 6 inches of soil.
- Label it with your name, village, field and the crop you plan to sow.
- Take it to your district soil and water lab, or ask the district agriculture office whether the mobile lab has started.
- Ask for a written report and the fertiliser recommendation for your crop.
- Buy only the nutrients the report names, from a licensed dealer, and keep the receipt.
Sampling from one spot is the usual mistake. One handful from the edge of a field can mislead the report for the whole plot.
Other field services on the same list
The same ongoing list carries two more field services that reach farmers this year. One deploys plant protection assistants in 137 tehsils and 65 mobile pest surveillance squads across Punjab. Another builds 100 Kissan Centres, which are container offices, for better contact with farmers.
These are plans with money attached, not services you can book today. If you meet a person who says he is from the pest squad and asks for a fee, ask for his department card and call the district office.
Common questions
Which districts get a mobile soil lab in Punjab?
Fifteen: Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Toba Tek Singh, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad and Okara.
When will the mobile labs start?
The department has not published a date. The project is listed for 2025-26 to 2026-27.
Will the mobile lab test water as well as soil?
Yes. The page lists on-site soil and water analysis and a nutrient advisory.
How much will a mobile test cost?
We found no fee on the department's pages.
What can I do if my district is not on the list?
Use the fixed district soil and water lab. Punjab has 36 government labs, so most districts have one.
Where is the project listed?
On the Agriculture Department's page of ongoing schemes at agripunjab.gov.pk, under Projects.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 12 October 2026. We read the Agriculture Department's page of ongoing schemes for the districts, cost and allocation, and its jobs page for the staff advertisement. The grouping of districts by division is ours. We did not find a launch date, a fee or a list of tests.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
