The number of farmers applying for crop insurance for kharif seaon has gone up almost 3 per cent compared with last year. With the delay in rainfall and recent unseasonal rain, agriculture department officials said the applications for rabi crops is also likely to be high.

As many as 37,663 farmers have applied for kharif crop insurance for the year 2014-15 for 24,570.19 hectares of land. In the year 2013-14, as many as 36,571 farmers applied for the kharif crop insurance cover for 30,209.72 hectares of land.

Officials said the rise in the applications for crop insurance during kharif season is because of the fresh government resolution earlier this year regarding the compensation to be awarded. Farmers cultivating rice, jowar, bajra, udid, moong, tur, sesame, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, cotton and onion will get 60 per cent of the total loss, while the compensation for sugarcane crop damage will be 80 per cent.

The agriculture department has initiated the process to receive applications for insurance for rabi crops like jowar, gram, wheat and summer groundnut. The last date for submission of applications is December 31. An official at the agriculture department said the farmers would be able to take benefits upto 150 per cent of the base amount. The ideal time for rabi crop sowing is between September 15 and October 15, however, the unseasonal rain has delayed the process. Officials at the agriculture department said the numbers are expected to rise for insurance of these crops too.

Last year, 8,366 farmers had applied for the insurance cover for damages to rabi crops over 3221.04 hectares of land. The farmers have to register under the national agriculture insurance scheme and report damages to the talathi concerned to get the benefit. In case of hailstorms, landslides and cyclones, farmers have to inform the government official within 48 hours.

An official said the farmers have to furnish the certificate of the area sown from the appropriate authority along with the claim form. The banks should verify the same before accepting the application, which is to be kept in the record for reference.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/