The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Crop insurance claims may be settled in a month

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 03, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Crop insurance claims may be settled in a month

Nagesh Prabhu

The scheme was launched during the last kharif season

44,000 farmers in 13 districts have availed themselves of the scheme
The weather-based insurance scheme is different from the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme

BANGALORE: Agricultural Insurance Company is likely to disburse claims of a large number of farmers who had lost their crops on account of adverse weather conditions during the last kharif season (2007) in 13 districts of the State, in a month.

The weather-based crop insurance scheme, which was launched on a pilot basis during the last kharif season, aims at providing insurance protection to the cultivator against adverse weather conditions such as deficit and excessive rainfall, frost, heat (temperature) and relative humidity, which affect the crops.

The company officials told The Hindu that 44,000 farmers had availed themselves of the scheme in Bidar, Bijapur, Bellary, Chitradurga, Gadag, Gulbarga, Haveri, Kolar, Koppal, Tumkur, Hassan, Shimoga and Bangalore Rural districts.

Most of these districts are drought-prone. The scheme was conceived by the Union Government in the wake of crop losses owing to adverse weather conditions.

Farmers covered under the scheme would be compensated for the crop loss owing to deficit or excessive rainfall. However, irrigated land was not covered under the scheme.

They said the kharif season had ended and the company was now processing the insurance claims of farmers. The claims would be disbursed in a month.

The weather-based insurance scheme is different from the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme, which is yield-based. This scheme was launched in the State in 2000.

The scheme covers kharif crops such as green gram, black gram, soybean, tur dal, jowar, ragi, maize and groundnut.

Farmers are eligible for compensation if their crops wither after sowing, till the period they mature.

The risk period of each crop depends on maturity and the weather parameters chosen for it.

Officials in the Agriculture Department said that the authorities considered the rainfall from June to November in the 13 districts.

Farmers will get compensation from Rs. 50 to Rs. 1,000 if their crop is damaged on account of less than 1 mm rainfall during the cultivation period.

A large number of farmers who lost their crops on account of floods in September in Gadag, and Haveri districts are expected to get compensation under the scheme.

The sum insured is broadly equivalent to the “cost of cultivation” notified by the company.

Of the premium sum, a part will be paid by the cultivator; the Union and the State Governments will meet the balance on 50:50 basis among them.

Karnataka, Maharashtra and Jharkhand were selected for the scheme during the last kharif season.

Karnataka has not been selected for rabi crops since “normal” weather prevails in the State during the season.

The scheme covers rabi crops in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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