India - Insurance firms fix low rates, put farmers in trouble

09.02.2017 504 views
The drought-hit farmers are now a worried lot, upset over the  Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and private insurance companies. According to farmers, the private insurance companies are trying to pay them a low amount as insurance by taking into account the sowing period as the crop loss period instead of the harvesting period. After the monsoon failure and the non-receipt of Cauvery water, farmers in the delta region managed to cultivate crops with groundwater. Despite having  grown the crops, the unprecedented rainfall destroyed it completely. Meanwhile, adding to the worries of the farmers who were expecting insurance for the failed crops, insurance companies were considering only the sowing period as against the harvest time. “With the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the State and Central governments are only paying subsidies up to 26%. Afterwards, if there is any crop loss, the governments point towards the private insurance companies. Now, the private companies are playing games in connection with the insurance amount,” said ‘Cauvery’ Dhanapalan, president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Association. According to him, the insurance companies were considering crop loss as the loss which happened during the period of sowing, whereas the truth was that 90 per cent loss had occurred. “If the insurance companies consider the loss during the sowing period, farmers could get just `6,000 per acre as insurance. But actually the loss happened only during harvest time. If the companies consider the loss at the time of harvesting, they have to provide `26,000 per acre as insurance,” he added. Questioning the way crop assessment was done, Cauvery Delta Farmers Associations office-bearer Guru Gobi Ganesan said, “Nowadays, the officials are assessing the crops on the basis of villages. The place chosen for crop-cutting experiment is most often in well-grown parts. Despite 90 per cent of agricultural lands having become barren with the drought, the officials are assessing the remaining 10 per cent areas where crops have grown well.” Source - http://www.newindianexpress.com
23.07.2026

USA - Michigan Crop Insurance Pilot Tests Whether Soil Health Can Lower Risk

Michigan Crop Insurance Pilot Tests Whether Soil Health Can Lower Risk.

23.07.2026

Greece - Severe Storms Cause Widespread Crop Damage in Evros

Severe storms and hail battered crops in Evros, damaging thousands of acres of cotton, corn, vegetables and walnut orchards, with losses now being assessed.

23.07.2026

‘Loss-free harvest, safe storage.’ Belarus’ presidential aide describes top priorities for farmers

A loss-free harvest campaign and the preservation of the crop are the top priorities not only for the agricultural sector but for all government bodies, Konstantin Burak, Belarus Presidential Aide - Inspector for Grodno Oblast, said during an inspection of the Protasovshchina agricultural enterprise on 23 July, BelTA has learned.

23.07.2026

Spain Reintroduces Native Livestock to Combat Wildfires in Galicia

Communities in Spain's northwestern Galicia region are reintroducing native livestock, including nimble Cachena cows, to clear flammable undergrowth and mitigate wildfire risks following severe blazes, as reported by Yahoo on July 23.

23.07.2026

India - Maharashtra to use Texas-type traps to tackle wild boars

Facing mounting complaints from farmers over rampant crop damage caused by wild boars, the Maharashtra Forest Department has decided to deploy giant ‘Texas-type’ corral traps across vulnerable agricultural belts in the state. 

23.07.2026

Australia - Aggregate improvement, concentrated deterioration: what WFI’s farm data reveals

Livestock, fire, and a shifting injury age profile each carry separate underwriting implications.

22.07.2026

Kosovo - Millions of dollars in damage from the storm in Suhareka, greenhouses and stables most damaged

The Director of Agriculture in the Municipality of Suhareka, Armend Krasniqi, said that based on initial estimates, the damages from the storm that hit this municipality on Tuesday are in the millions. 

22.07.2026

AU delegation evaluates Nigeria’s preparedness for PPR eradication

The Federal Government on Monday, 20th July 2026, welcomed a high-level African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Monitoring and Evaluation Mission to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and progress towards the eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) by 2030.