India - Upaj by Absolute is solving the 'unseasonal rainfall' loss for farmers with a first-of-its-kind, DIY Insurance Marketplace in collaboration with DigiSafe

19.12.2022 861 views

Unexpected rainfall in various states has harmed the ready-for-harvesting crops such as rice, soya bean, cotton, pulses, and vegetables at a time when India is facing a likely food grain shortfall due to decreased sowing of Kharif crops, particularly paddy. Additionally, unseasonal rain is likely to cause damage to 15 to 20% of summer-seeded crops. India's millions of rural smallholders are expected to be hit by bad crops. As a result, the need & demand for crop insurance is likely to increase.

Crop insurance guards farmers against two potential losses: the loss of crops - caused by natural disasters, and the loss of income - caused by a drop in the price of agricultural products. Parametric Crop Insurance, however, is based on predetermined characteristics like rainfall rather than crop yield. Through Parametric Crop Insurance offerings, farmers can get faster claim settlements during natural or weather calamities like unseasonal rainfall.

While acknowledging the challenges in traditional insurance models, recently, Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, was reported emphasizing the importance of crop insurance and recommending active innovations in the Agri-fintech ecosystem.

Absolute's first-of-its-kind DIY insurance platform, built on its AgCloud ecosystem Upaj, is emerging as a concrete solution to farmers' problems, establishing safety nets in place to shield all types of farmers from catastrophic weather events. With DIY insurance marketplace, farmers will have the freedom to select parametric insurance products from several insurers available at their respective pin codes.

Upaj, world's first universal AgCloud ecosystem by Absolute, provides full-stack agronomy solutions to farmers to get crop advisories through AI & ML. It has enabled the feature of crop insurance for added security of the farmers. Creating India's first DIY marketplace for parametric crop insurance, Upaj by Absolute allows farmers to custom-create their own insurance cover for the amount they want and helps farmers to calculate the insurance premium for specific crops,pertaining to their areas and the coverage amount.

Sourabh Bagla, Director of Upaj, Absolute said, "Crop insurance programs have existed in the past, but they have been plagued with limited adoption and slower evaluation rates. With a tech-driven strategy and a focus on parametric insurance, we intend to speed up the procedure while retaining its accuracy. We believe that by establishing a sustainable ecosystem that intervenes at every stage of the farming life cycle, we can support resilient producers to thrive by shifting to sustainable techniques."

Anupam Shrey, Founder, Digisafe said, "With this collaboration, we aim to bolster the government's efforts in the existing insurance schemes and complement them with our services for deeper rural penetration. Our motivation is derived from ensuring a sustainable and better livelihood to the farmers economically, as we believe that they play a crucial role in driving the economic wheels of the country."

About Absolute®

Absolute® is a pathbreaking bioscience company leveraging the best of nature, science and exponential innovations to Build a Better Future - For People, For Planet. 

Intersecting plant biology, microbiology, omics, epigenetics & AI, the company has been developing one of the world's first and largest Nature Intelligence Platforms, which constitutes one of the world's largest microbial, secondary metabolite, signaling molecules and other advanced biocontrol and stimulating agent libraries, all of which power Absolute's AgCloud Platform & Global Trade Platform.

Founded in 2015, Absolute®️ currently operates across 16+ countries. Backed by Sequoia, Tiger Global, and Alpha Wave, Absolute's angels include Nadir Godrej- MD of Godrej Industries, Kamal Aggarwal- Promoter of Haldiram, and Kunal Shah-CRED among others.

About DigiSafe 

DigiSafe is an Insurtech startup that recognizes the need for rural insurance penetration in India. DigiSafe intends to be the Local Digital Insurtech for the economically backward areas in India, where they can offer their simplified products, crop, livestock and other insurance products.

Source - https://www.prnewswire.com

05.05.2026

Climate change: challenges and opportunities for crop insurance in Canada

The pandemic we have just come out of reminded us of the importance of maintaining robust food sovereignty in our country, provinces and cities. 

05.05.2026

Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan hold talks on agro-industrial collaboration

On May 5, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov met with a delegation from Uzbekistan led by Minister of Agriculture Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, who attended the 19th Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition (Caspian Agro Week), to discuss bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector, Trend reports.

05.05.2026

Philippines - P6.69-million crop damage logged in Albay due to Mayon unrest

Damage to crops from Mayon Volcano’s unrest has reached P6.69 million, with ashfall affecting several farmers in Albay, authorities said Tuesday.

05.05.2026

Cyprus - Farmers in Karpasia seek compensation for crop damage caused by wild donkeys

Losses reported in Rizokarpaso and nearby villages as donkey population grows and destroys farmland.

05.05.2026

USA - USDA Risk Management Agency Upgrades Rainfall Data Source

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is upgrading the source for rainfall data used in several Federal crop insurance programs, moving from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). 

05.05.2026

Asparagus losses in Norfolk County, Canada reach 98 percent after frost

Frost events in Canada recently caused crop damage in Norfolk County, with asparagus production heavily affected. At Dalton White Farms, losses reached up to 98 per cent of the field.

04.05.2026

Bulgaria's Kyustendil cherry crop severely affected by frost for second consecutive year

Frosts have caused critical damage to cherry orchards in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria for the second consecutive spring, with producers reporting near-total crop losses. 

04.05.2026

Vietnam - MoF moves to expand farm insurance support and eligibility

The Ministry of Finance has proposed sharply increasing agricultural insurance premium subsidies to up to 95 per cent and widening the pool of eligible beneficiaries to better share risks with producers, stabilise farm incomes, and strengthen climate resilience.