The Hindu : Karnataka News : Crop insurance to cover natural disasters too

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Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Crop insurance to cover natural disasters too

Staff Correspondent

Crops grown on irrigated land should be insured by August 31

Claims on loss owing to natural disasters should be made in 48 hours
Crops grown on rain-fed areas should be insured before July 31

DAVANGERE: The Agriculture Department here has announced the crop insurance scheme for this year and farmers of the district can insure crops such as paddy, black gram, green gram, sunflower, potato, hybrid maize, jowar, ragi, red gram, horse gram, castor seeds, groundnut, cotton, onion and chilly.

Crops grown on irrigated land should be insured by August 31, while rain-fed crops should be insured before July 31, Joint Director of Agriculture Shivamurthappa has said.

He told presspersons here on Tuesday that this year, the insurance facility would be extended to cover natural disasters such as fire, lightning, rain, floods, landslides, drought, various diseases and devastating wind. Farmers who sustained losses owing to natural disasters should inform the insurers within 48 hours of the damage and submit their claims. The insurance premium would vary for crops grown on irrigated land and those grown on rain-fed land, he said and added that the permissible claims for the crops would also vary in that respect.

For instance, the crop insurance amount for paddy grown on irrigated land would be Rs. 27,300 a hectare, while the crop insurance for paddy grown on rain-fed areas would be Rs. 14,100 a hectare.

Similarly, the insurance premium for paddy cultivated on irrigated lands would be 2.5 per cent of the insurance amount of Rs. 27,300 a hectare, while the premium for paddy grown on rain-fed areas would be 2.5 per cent of the insurance amount of Rs. 14,100. Insurance claims would be allowed up to 80 per cent with regard to crops grown on irrigated lands, while it would be only 60 per cent for crops grown on rain-fed lands. While farmers availing themselves of crop loans should insure their crops, it is optional for those who do not make use of crop loans. Mr. Shivamurthappa said farmers could insure their crops in any nationalised bank or in cooperative banks.

He further said small and marginal farmers would be given a rebate of 10 per cent on the insurance premium. Those who have less than two hectares (or five acres of land) of land would be considered small farmers and those who have one hectare (2.5 acres) of land would be considered marginal farmers.

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