PMFBY: Insure your Kharif Crop and Compensate for losses, Know how to Avail Benefits!

Indian farmers face changing weather conditions every year which brings disease on the one side and, troubles on the other side. Due to unseasonal rains, drought, water logging, cloud bursts, or other natural calamities, there is considerable loss of crop of farmers. In such a situation, any farmer who has not yet got his crop insured can get it done soon. The last date for crop insurance for the Kharif season-2020 in Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh has been set as July 15. Under this scheme, lakhs of farmers will get insurance cover on maize and paddy crops.

In Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh the government has announced the deadline to apply for Kharif crop insurance under PMFBY is July 15. Farmers who want to apply in this scheme can apply before July 15. However, the last date of insurance for the Kharif crop has been set as July 15 to July 31 in almost all the states. If a debtor farmer does not want to take advantage of this insurance scheme, then he can submit his declaration in written in this regard to the concerned bank seven days before the last date.

What is PMFBY?

According to the Union Agriculture Ministry, under the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme this year irrigated and non-irrigated paddy, maize, soybean, groundnut, tur (arhar), moong and urad are the major crops. The central government has appealed to the farmers to get insurance to avoid the risk of farming from natural calamities. Under the scheme, the damage is paid by assessing the farm-wise loss. Adverse weather causes considerable damage to the crops of the farmers, they go through severe economic loss. The main aim of this scheme is to compensate farmers for the loss of crops from sowing to harvesting due to natural calamities like fire, sky lightning, drought, dry period, typhoon, hail, cyclone, storm, pests, and diseases, etc.

Benefits of PMFBY scheme:

• Harms because of hail, waterlogging, loss of land, cloudburst, and other natural calamities are secured under PMFBY
• Benefits are additionally given to the farmers if he/she was unable to sow crops because of unfavorable weather conditions.
• Yields are also protected for pests and diseases, other local calamities like hailstorms, landslides, cloudbursts, and loss from lightning.
• After harvesting, the insurance company compensates for the damages to the crops kept for drying in the field for the next 14 days due to unseasonal cyclone, hail, and storm damage on an individual basis.
• Farmers have to pay a very low premium and the remaining premium is paid by the govt. to provide the full amount insured to the farmers for crop loss in any type of natural disaster.
• The use of technology has been encouraged to a great extent. Smartphones, remote sensing drones, and GPS technology are being used to collect and upload crop harvesting data to reduce delays in claim payments.

Risk Cover From Sowing to Harvesting

The Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AIC) runs this scheme. PMFBY provides financial protection to farmers from many risks from sowing to post-harvest.

Premium to be Paid

A farmer has to pay a 2% premium for the Kharif crop and 1.5% premium for Rabi crop. The PMFBY scheme also provides insurance cover for business and horticultural crops. In this, farmers have to pay a 5% premium. The government gives more than 80% of the amount as a subsidy.

General Exclusions

Losses arising out of war and nuclear risks, malicious damage, and other preventable risks are excluded in his scheme.

Objectives of PMFBY

To offer sum and financial backing to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crops as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.

• To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and new and latest agricultural practices.
• To support the farmers to stabilize their financial gain and continuance in farming
• To give legitimate credit to the horticulture area; which will add to food security, crop expansion, and improving development and intensity of agribusiness segment other than shielding farmers from production risks.

Eligibility Criteria

All farmers including tenant farmers and sharecroppers growing the notified crops in the notified areas are eligible for coverage.

Compulsory Component

All farmers availing Seasonal Agricultural Operations (SAO) loans from Financial Institutions (loanee farmers) for the notified crops would be covered compulsorily.

Voluntary Component

The Scheme would be elective for the non-loanee farmers.

How to Apply Online for PMFBY

A Farmer who wants to apply for this crop insurance can apply online through PMFBY's official website https://pmfby.gov.in/

• Click on 'Farmer Corner'
• Click on Register Button
• New farmers can register themselves by filling the registration form.
• Now log in as farmer with your details
• However, if you had already registered, you can see your application status through your Login details.

Documents Required

• Farmer's Photo
• ID card like Passport, Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving license, voter ID card.
• Address Proof like driving license, voter ID card, passport or Aadhaar card
• Bank Account Details
• Field measles number
• Detail evidence of crop damage in the field

How to Report Crop Loss in PMFBY

• Visit official website https://pmfby.gov.in/
• On the home page, click on Report Crop Loss section
• A popup will appear to show you insurance companies' details, such as Company Name, Contact No., Email Address, and Headquater Address.
• You can directly contact them to Report Crop Loss

Insurance Companies Empanelled

Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers Welfare(DAC&FW) have an impaneled Agriculture Insurance Company of India(AIC) and some private insurance agencies presently to participate in this Government-sponsored crop insurance scheme based on their monetary quality, infrastructure, manpower, and expertise so forth. The impaneled private insurance agencies at present are listed below;

1) ICICI-Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd.

2) HDFC-ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd.

3) IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance Company Ltd.

4) Cholamandalam MS General Insurance

5) Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Ltd.

6) Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd.

7) Future Generali India Insurance Company Ltd.

8) Tata-AIG General Insurance Company Ltd.

9) SBI General Insurance Company Ltd.

10) Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Ltd.

Let us tell you that, the Central Government started the very ambitious 'Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme' on January 13, 2016, to remunerate farmers. PMFBY is a substitution scheme of the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and replaced as the revised National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS). It is exempted from the service tax.

Farmers can contact the insurance company's toll-free number 18002005142 or 1800120909090 or contact the insurance company and agriculture department specialist for the claim. Farmers can also send their queries at help.agri-insurance@gov.in. A time of 72 hours is fixed for this. In case of loss, the farm-wise loss is assessed and paid.