Romania - Agra Asigurari launches the 2025-2026 agricultural season with solutions for unpredictable climate

20.10.2025 31 views

Agra Asigurari, the national leader in agricultural insurance, is launching the new sales season for the 2025-2026 farming year. The announcement comes at a challenging time for Romanian farmers, marked by the intensification of extreme weather events, which are affecting crops earlier and earlier, causing considerable losses for farmers.

In April this year, the company recorded 693 damage claims, a significant increase compared to the 300 cases reported in the same period last year. The late spring frost severely affected autumn crops in Dobrogea, as well as vineyards in Constanta and Prahova counties.

In May, Agra Asigurari recorded 1,493 damage claims, due to hailstorms that affected large areas of crops in Mehedinti and Dolj counties. In July, the same phenomenon caused significant damage to both field crops and orchards in the western and central regions of the country, as well as in the counties of Neamt, Botosani, and Iasi. Added to this were the effects of an extreme, unprecedented storm that hit agricultural areas in the counties of Ilfov and Ialomita.

“In this context, Agra Asigurari is introducing a series of updates and coverage extensions designed to respond to increasingly varied climate challenges and the ever-growing needs of farmers,” states Horia Adrian-Lupu, General Manager of Agra Asigurari. 

This season, the company is placing particular emphasis on expanding the reseeding package for spring crops. In addition to the risks already covered, such as soil crusting, soil washing, wind, and frost-induced sand or soil particle entrainment, the package now also includes damage caused by specific pests. This update is particularly relevant in the current context, where protection options for farmers have been significantly reduced as a result of the ban on the use of neonicotinoids.

Coverage was also introduced for the risk generated by prolonged torrential rains that lead to soil waterlogging, a phenomenon with a significant impact on autumn and spring crops. In addition, the coverage offered by the Agrar Basis product has been extended to include damage caused by hailstorsms in the early stages of crop development, a stage known for the increased vulnerability of plants to extreme weather events.

At the same time, Agra Asigurari is considering introducing late spring frost as an insured risk for apple orchards, an essential measure for protecting orchards given the increasingly unpredictable nature of the climate. An insurance product dedicated to field-grown vegetables is also in the works, to support horticultural producers who are facing increasing losses due to weather instability.

With over 1.7 million hectares insured, 7,200 policies underwritten, and over 4,250 claims settled last season alone, Agra Asigurari continues to consolidate its position as a trusted partner for Romanian farmers. The total insured area increased by 11.2% in 2024 compared to 2023 and by 14.6% in 2025 compared to 2024, highlighting the company’s consistent portfolio expansion.

“A key strength of the company remains the speed of claims processing and payment, with over 80 percent of settlements completed within approximately 10 days of the protocol being issued,” says Horia-Adrian Lupu.

All these updates were discussed and presented at the Agra Asigurari Conference, held on July 29-30, 2025, in Poiana Brasov. The event brought together over 80 brokers specializing in agricultural insurance from across the country, partners who have been working with the company since it entered the Romanian market in 2016.

“This event reflects Agra Asigurari’s commitment to our distribution partners, who play an essential role in supporting farmers and agriculture in Romania. We aim to strengthen this collaboration and provide an open framework for dialogue, transparency, and joint development. In an increasingly dynamic agricultural sector, we are aligning our efforts around a clear objective: expanding farmers’ access, at the national level, to protection solutions adapted to climatic and economic realities. Through this approach, we contribute to the sustainable development of the agricultural sector, the stability of supply chains, and, implicitly, food security,” emphasizes Horia-Adrian Lupu, General Manager of Agra Asigurari.

During the conference, the results and challenges of the previous season were analyzed, operational and product news for the 2025-2026 agricultural year were presented, and discussions focused on establishing directions for collaboration to optimize processes and strengthen relationships with farmers.     

Source - Business Review
 

20.10.2025

Serbia fruit harvest drops after frost and drought

Frosts and droughts have caused severe damage to fruit and vegetable crops in Serbia this year, raising concerns for growers and traders. Farmers are requesting government support to help recover from losses

20.10.2025

Armenia - Hail in Ararat Province Damages Crops in 20 Villages

The hail that hit Ararat Province yesterday damaged crops in about 20 villages. A special commission has been created in connection with the consequences of the hail that hit Ararat Province. The main damage was caused to 7-8 villages, but overall damage was recorded in about 20 villages.

20.10.2025

Agricultural insurance boosts China’s farm output by 8.99%

Agricultural insurance has helped boost China's agricultural economy, with each one-unit increase in insurance contribution linked to an 8.99% rise in agricultural development. The impact is especially strong in China’s eastern provinces.

20.10.2025

South Africa - New area-yield index insurance helps farmers tackle climate risks

Land Bank Insurance Company has expanded its pilot “index insurance” product with the introduction of Area-Yield Index Insurance (AYII), designed to help farmers manage financial losses caused by large-scale climatic and environmental risks.

20.10.2025

Ethiopia - Agricultural Insurance Consortium aims to protect 3 million farmers by 2026

In a landmark move to strengthen the resilience of Ethiopian agriculture, the Ethiopian Agricultural Insurance Consortium (AICE) was officially launched, pledging to extend insurance coverage to 3 million smallholder farmers by 2026. This initiative aims to shield farmers from climate-related risks and foster a more investment-friendly agricultural sector.

20.10.2025

Egypt - farmers harvest wheat amid lure of more profit from other crops

Government offers premium prices for staple of the national diet, but the private sector does the same for crops such as potatoes

20.10.2025

India - NIDM explores GIS, AI for disaster risk assessment, crop insurance

The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) is exploring the use of GIS, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning for improving disaster risk assessment and crop insurance

19.10.2025

Philippine agriculture chief urges P8 billion boost in crop insurance funds

The government’s current subsidy for the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) is not keeping up with farmers’ needs. While 2.3 million farmers are presently covered – including 1.25 million rice producers – the existing P4.5 billion allocation limits coverage to a maximum of P20,000 per hectare, only a third of the estimated P60,000 cost of rice production.