Assam: Insurance of Kharif crop under PMFBY yet to pick up pace

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The process of crop insurance by the farmers of the state under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has not yet picked up pace in this Kharif Season in the state. Till the first week of June 2025, only 94,998 farmers insured their crops, covering 77.94 thousand hectares of land.

Crop insurance under the PMFBY covers (A) yield losses: (i) natural fire and lightning, (ii) storm, hailstorm, cyclone, typhoon, tempest, hurricane, tornado, etc., (iii) flood, inundation, and landslides, (iv) drought and dry spell, and (v) pests and diseases.

(B) Prevented sowing, (C) post-harvest losses, and (D) localised calamities.

As many as 6,33,389 farmers of the state insured their crops, covering 487.71 thousand hectares of land during the Kharif Season in 2024. The insurance cover benefitted 15,709 farmers who received a total of Rs 8.87 crore.

In 2023, as many as 3,51,867 farmers insured their crops under the PMFBY, covering 263.47 thousand hectares of land. The number of farmers who benefitted was 62,881, who received Rs 41.35 crore.

Likewise, as many as 2,47,616 farmers insured their crops, covering 170.47 thousand hectares of land in the Kharif Season 2022. The number of farmers who benefitted in that year was 11,178, who received Rs 8.51 crore.

 The crop insurance under PMFBY will continue till the end of July in this kharif season. With less than two months left at hand for the farmers, it is high time the farmers of the state registered their crops before it is too late.

According to official sources, the premium of crop insurance under PMFBY has three components – farmers’ premium, the premium of the state government and the premium from the central government.

It should be mentioned here that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was introduced in February 2016 to provide insurance service to the farmers for their yield. It was formulated in line with the one nation-one scheme theme by replacing the earlier two schemes, the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and the Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS), by incorporating their best features and removing their inherent drawbacks.

 Also Read: Kharif crop sown on 1,115.29 lakh hectares: Agri Ministry

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