Farmers to get insurance cover for crop loss

By Our Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA, APRIL 30. The Himachal Pradesh Government has launched the `Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojna' for the benefit of farmers of the State.

Most of the people of the State is getting direct employment from agriculture sector making it the backbone of State economy. To boost the agriculture income of farmers, this scheme would cover loanee, non-loanee and all other categories of farmers.

According to a government spokesman, 50 per cent subsidy is being given on premium to small and marginal farmers under this scheme as a welfare measure. The scheme basically aims to provide insurance cover to the farmers in case of crop loss due to some natural calamities or diseases. It also aims at encouraging farmers to adopt progressive farming techniques, high-yielding varieties, latest tools and encourage cultivation of cereal crops and oil seeds.

He further says that this scheme would cover all foodgrain crops, oilseeds and all horticultural cash crops. Crops like potatoes, cotton and sugarcane would be covered first and during the next three years other cash crops would be brought under its ambit.

The insurance amount can be increased upto the price of fixed production level of the insured crop as per choice of farmers. Provision has been made in the scheme that the farmer can pay the premium on commercial rates of the crop insured upto 150 per cent cost of the average production of that specified area.

The rate of premium during the kharif season would be 3.5 per cent of the insured amount or actual cost or whichever is less. In other cereals, it would be 2.5 per cent of the insured amount or actual rate of whichever of the two is less, informs the spokesman.

During the rabi season, for wheat crop, the rate of premium would be 1.5 per cent and for other cereals it would be two per cent of the insured amount of actual cost or which of the two is less.

Subsidy upto 50 per cent is being given for small and marginal farmers and it would be equally borne by the Central and state governments. Making GIC as the implementing agency of this scheme, provision has been made that loanee farmers can insure their crops through those financial institutions from which they have borrowed crop loans.

On the other hand, the non-loanee farmers can insure their crops either through financial institutions or directly through the insurance company, clarified the spokesman.

New milestones in agriculture are expected after introducing this scheme besides strengthening the economy of farmers who will now be encouraged to adopt latest technique and knowhow in agriculture.

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