Despite the centre pumping more funds into its flagship crop insurance scheme, coverage among farmers is on the decline, according to figures released on Tuesday, indicating a decline in interest among farmers.
The number of farmers (or farm holdings) covered under the prime minister’s crop insurance scheme fell to 47.9 million in 2017-18, from a high of 57.5 million the year before, a sharp decline of 17% in just a year, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The data further shows that while coverage among loanee farmers fell to 35 million in 2017-18 from 44 million the year before, coverage of non-loanee farmers fell marginally from 14 million to 13 million during this period. In 2016 and 2017, overall, the south-west monsoon which irrigates over half of India’s crop area was near normal, meaning rainfall had little role to play in determining insurance uptake by farmers. While the total number of holdings declined sharply over the past year, gross premium collected by insurance companies in 2017-18 is estimated at Rs24,352 crore, up 9.8% from Rs22,180 crore the year before, the government told the Rajya Sabha on 9 March. “It is unlikely that insurance coverage in terms of gross cropped area will improve in 2017-18 over the 30% coverage achieved in 2016-17,” said a top official with an insurance company who did not want to be named. “Achieving the government’s target of covering 50% of gross cropped area by 2018-19 will be a herculean task,” the person quoted above added. The official said that less than 40% of the premium due from state governments has reached insurance companies and that farmers are suffering due to the delay. Interestingly, the centre is yet to calculate the total claims filed by farmers in the current year ending March (2017-18), indicating long delays in settlement of claims. “The growth rate in agriculture credit fell sharply in the past few years... and due to rising indebtedness and delays in loan repayment by farmers expecting to benefit from loan waivers, it could be that banks are issuing less fresh loans. This could be bringing down the number of loanee accounts and therefore, the (mandatory) crop insurance enrolment numbers,” said Himanshu, associate professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Himanshu added that the scheme is also failing to interest non-loanee farmers due to delays in claim settlements. Studies released by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment in July 2017, and another last month by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Delhi, showed that the Prime Minister’s crop insurance scheme is beset with problems like delays in assessment of crop loss and claim settlement, high actuarial premiums charged by insurance companies, and lack of officers monitoring a scheme which gets as much as a third of the budget of the department of agriculture (Rs13,000 crore budgeted in 2018-19). Source - http://www.livemint.com2024 AgroInsurance International Conference: New Partners and Agenda updates
26.02.20242024 AgroInsurance International Conference will take place on June 3-5, 2024 in Belgrade, Serbia, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Planet Labs (USA) and GAF AG (Germany) are sponsors of our conference. Agremo (Serbia) has been confirmed as the Organization Partner. More partners and sponsors to be announced in March 2024.
Spain - 30% of La Palma's banana production has already been lost due to the advance of the lava
14.10.2021More than three weeks after the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted, the lava that continues to flow from its interior continues to devastate everything in its path, destroying houses, infrastructure, and banana plantations. The production of Platanos de Canarias is the economic engine of the island, accounting for 50% of its GDP and 30% of the jobs on the island.
Ukraine - Frosts damaged part of harvest of early apples and stone fruits
As a result of the latest frosts in Ukraine, the peak of which occurred on April 19-20 of this year, orchards of apples, pears and stone fruits were partially damaged, EastFruit analysts report.
Italy - Strong demand for strawberries but yields dropped by up to 50% compared to a year ago
Favorable prices and low yields are marking this recent part of the strawberry season in Southern Italy. "Here in the Basilicata region, in about 40 days, the campaign will be over for many, referring to traditional cultivars like the Sabrosa-Candonga," says Maria Ferrara of the wholesale fruit and vegetable company Fe.Vi Frutta.
South Africa - Water scarcity threatens the agricultural sector and food security
South Africa is naturally a water-scarce country – among the 30 driest countries in the world. But, combined with unpredictable climate changes that tend towards hotter and drier conditions, diminishing water tables, and the chronic mismanagement of water systems, water availability is becoming a cause for concern across all sectors of the economy.
India - Farmers claim crop damage on 7,800 acres in Indri, Nilokheri
In the wake of recent rain and hailstorm that lashed the region on Friday, nearly 1,500 farmers in the Indri and Nilokheri blocks of the district have registered claims on the e-Kshatipurti portal, stating extensive losses to their wheat crop on approximately 7,800 acres of land.
Hunger in Southern Africa: addressing climate change effect
As a result of climate disasters, millions of people in Southern Africa face the threat of starvation. The onset of El Niño caused scorching heat waves that destroyed crops and dried up essential water sources in the region.
Safeguarding crop diversity in genebanks
Ensuring food security and agricultural resilience in the face of environmental challenges depends on preserving and utilizing crop diversity, according to the Crop Trust. Genebanks serve as the ultimate guardians of this diversity. However, they are susceptible to various risks that could jeopardize their invaluable collections.
USA - Northwest Ohio farms prepare to protect crops from the cold temperatures
With the expected cold weather this week, farmers are starting to monitor their crops. It isn't strawberry season yet, but farmers are starting to prepare the plants now. The freezing temperatures could impact the crops.
Singapore - Researchers pioneer nanosensor multiplexing for real-time decoding of different plant stresses
Researchers from the Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have developed a cutting-edge nanosensor that allows for the real-time monitoring of salicylic a cid (SA) during the early stages of stress response.