Farmers worried about cut in farm insurance cover
BARMER: Farmers in western Rajasthan are worried about cut in insurance cover under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) after depositing premium for kharif crops.
According to data from agriculture department, the cover for bajra has been reduced from Rs 14,000 per hectare in 2018 to Rs 6,856; from Rs 20,500 per hectare to Rs 9,785 for gwar; and from Rs 20,000 per hectare to Rs 9,095 for jowar.
Last date for taking farm insurance for this year’s kharif crop was July 15. Farmers are sowing these crops, but with the monsoon playing truant until now, they are unlikely to get a good harvest. With a reduced insurance cover, they worry if they would be adequately compensated if the crop failed.
Ramesha Ram, a farmer in Barmer, said that the PMFBY scheme was launched with an aim to provide a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop, but the cut in insurance cover this year is worrying.
He insured bajra on seven hectares in 2018 for Rs 1,33,000 (Rs 19,000 for one hectare). “Due to failure of monsoon, I got an insurance payout of Rs 80,000, which was sufficient in recovering the sowing cost,” he said.
Rata Ram, another farmer, said the yield per hectare of bajra is around eight quintals. Plus, farmers also get about 15 quintals of fodder from the field. Bajra fetches around Rs 20,000 per hectare and fodder gets an additional Rs 6,000. “A farmer can easily make Rs 26,000 from one hectare of land if there are good rains. The investment is Rs 12-15,000. But with this year’s cover, a farmer will not be able to cover even the investment if there’s a loss,” he said.
The PMFBY was launched on February 18, 2016.
In 2018, farmers got Rs 19,000 for loss on one hectare of land. “This year, the cover – Rs 6,856 – is half of even the sowing cost,” said another farmer who didn’t identify himself.
Deputy director of agriculture department in Barmer JR Choudhary said the Central government decides the insurance cover on the basis of average yield of last seven years. Minister of state for agriculture Kailash Choudhary was unavailable.