Agroinsurance

India - PM's crop insurance scheme makes slow start in first season

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious crop insurance scheme that promised lowest premia for farmers seems to have started on a slow note in 2016 kharif season, partly due to delayed notification by states. Some experts said the decision to keep sugarcane out of the scheme’s ambit may have impacted its coverage in states like Uttar Pradesh. Sources said till September 8, around 25 million farmers — loanee and non-loanee — were covered under the Crop Insurance Scheme and the Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme, about 19 per cent less than the farmers covered under the old crop insurance schemes in 2015 kharif season. Both the schemes were operational this kharif season, with states having the option to choose. While the deadline for the PM’s Insurance Scheme was on August 10, it was extended by a few days for Bihar. Private insurance companies, however, said though the number of farmers covered could be less, the area insured as proportion of net sown area seems to have improved to 30 per cent this kharif season, compared with 20-21 per cent in 2015. But, this could be because of increase in overall acreage due to good rains. Only 22 states notified the scheme till September 8, while 24 states and one Union Territory have started the process of implementing it. In the case of the new insurance scheme, states have to invite fresh tenders to enlist insurance companies for kharif and rabi seasons separately because premium rates are different. For kharif crops, farmers have to pay a premium of just two per cent of the sum insured in cereals. For rabi crops, the premium has been fixed at 1.5 per cent of the sum insured. For horticulture crops, the premium has been capped at five per cent. This is much lower than the premiums charged under the three existing insurance schemes in the range of 3.5 per cent to eight per cent of the sum insured. It could be up to 20 per cent for some crops. The balance premium accruing to the insurance companies is shared equally between the Centre and states, with the former sharing up to 90 per cent of the burden. The Centre expects to spend over Rs 9,000 crore per year on the new insurance scheme. According to sources, in Bihar, around 1 million farmers were brought under scheme till September 08, lower than 1.65 farmers covered in 2015 kharif season. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, around 1.45 million farmers were covered under both the schemes, lower than 1.68 million farmers who availed insurance last year. “This is just the beginning and we feel that more farmers would be brought under the insurance fold during the rabi season,” a senior official said. The Centre plans to bring at least 50 per cent of the 140 million farmers in the insurance fold over the next three years. According to a study by private weather forecasting agency Skymet along with industry association ASSOCHAM, less than 20 per cent of India’s farmer families have crop insurance, which is why a vast majority of them are exposed to vagaries of weather. Even among loanee farmers, insurance penetration is not 100 per cent. It is mandatory for loanee farmers to get an insurance cover. Source - http://www.business-standard.com

USA - Diversion Authority plans payments to upstream landowners, crop insurance for farmers

For those farming on the wet side of the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority’s proposed Red River dam, persistent questions about how they would be compensated now has a clearer answer. The detailed mitigation plan the authority recently submitted to state regulators in North Dakota and Minnesota includes a crop insurance plan for farmers and payments to landowners for any reduction in land value. North Dakota lawmakers, who have also wanted more details about compensation, will be briefed Thursday. Rocky Schneider, a spokesman for the Diversion Authority, said the crop insurance was a response to farmers’ fears that summer flooding would wipe out crops that, because of the artificial flooding caused by the dam, wouldn’t be eligible for federal crop insurance. “We’ve heard that loud and clear.” The plan, which went out to regulators a couple of weeks ago, does seem to address some of the criticisms that upstream opponents of the diversion project have leveled at the Diversion Authority, such as inadequate compensation and the need for repairing infrastructure damaged by the project. However, Nathan Berseth, a spokesman for the main opposition group, the Richland-Wilkin Joint Powers Authority, said he couldn’t respond immediately because the authority didn’t send his group the plan. Overall, the Diversion Authority expects to pay for impact to 83 square miles on the dam’s wet side, a larger area than initially discussed. It also expects to buy 11 square miles to build the diversion channel and dam. The cost of both are estimated to total $400 million. Some buyouts have already started, while others won’t take place for years. The process for upstream landowners and farmers won’t formally begin until January 2018, though the Diversion Authority said it would accept early offers. Land values The mitigation plan addresses several categories of landowners and farmers on the dam’s wet side, which would run from an area south of Horace, across the Red River and about 6 miles into Minnesota. The purpose of the dam is to reduce the flow of water headed downstream during a major flood so communities there aren’t swamped. The result is a temporary lake that would drain when the flood ends. According to the plan, the Diversion Authority would give owners a one-time payment for the lost value of their land caused by the higher flood risk, known as a “flowage easement” in legal parlance. Farmers who rent land could use that as a basis to renegotiate rents, according to Schneider. But easement payments will vary depending on land elevation. Since severe floods are very rare, land on the wet side that’s at higher elevation would see very small payments. According to the plan, the owners of those lands would have the option of getting paid only if there is physical damage. Initial discussion of flowage easement focused only on land expected to get at least a foot of water during a 100-year flood, the minimum required by the federal government. That totals around 50 square miles. The Diversion Authority’s plan calls for easement on land with at least half a foot of water expanding coverage another 33 square miles. Land that get less than half a foot would get the option of payments for damages. Crop insurance On agricultural land, which is most of what’s on the dam’s wet side, the greatest impact on value is the potential for delayed planting because floods here happen in the spring, based on studies the Diversion Authority has funded. There has never been a major summer flood in the area’s recorded history. That doesn’t mean there never will be such a flood and farmers do worry about it. The Diversion Authority has discussed a crop insurance program similar to federal crop insurance that would cover 65 percent of crop values. Upstream opponents said that wasn’t enough and the mitigation plan now calls for 90 percent coverage. Based on 2014 crops, the maximum exposure for the Diversion Authority is $20 million to $25 million in the event of a summer flood destroying all crops. The mitigation plan also addresses the four organic farms totaling 2,900 acres on the wet side, which risk losing their organic certification if flood waters sit on the land too long. The Diversion Authority would, in that case, offer to buyout the land early and allow farming to continue while the farmers seek certification on new lands, which takes three to five years. Besides mitigating harm to agriculture, the plan also addresses buyouts of about 100 homes on the wet side, including relocation costs; reducing impact to 11 cemeteries; and cleaning and repairing infrastructure damaged by operation of the diversion project. Source - http://bismarcktribune.com

USA - South Carolina to Provide $35M in Aid to 1,250 Farmers Hit by 2015 Floods

Nearly 1,250 farmers in South Carolina will get more than $35 million in aid for their losses during last October’s massive floods. The Department of Agriculture said in a news release Thursday that 88 farmers will receive the maximum award of $100,000, while the smallest amount approved was $164. The Legislature approved the aid this year over Gov. Nikki Haley’s veto. It supplements crop insurance and covers 20 percent of the losses from October’s floods and subsequent months of waterlogged fields. Lawmakers set aside $40 million, but farmers claimed $35.5 million. Farmers in Orangeburg County will get the most help at $4.4 million. At least $1 million in aid is going to farmers in nine other counties – Bamberg, Calhoun, Clarendon, Darlington, Florence, Horry, Lee, Sumter and Williamsburg. Source - http://www.insurancejournal.com

Ireland - Farming drones to become ‘run of the mill’

Monitoring the health of livestock and crops with the assistance of drones will be “run of the mill” in 10 years’ time, according to Drone Consultants Ireland Director Ian McMahon. Mr McMahon was showcasing a crop-spraying drone at the National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly on Tuesday. The device, which carries about 15 litres, can be used to identify and treat damaged crops without damaging the surrounding produce. “With the drone technology and the technology of the new chemicals which use far less water, you can put up a drone which will spray a given area. It will also remember where it stopped, it will return back, you refill it and it will spray,” he said. “You could get into a crop-spraying drone for something in the region of about €15,000, so it’s not excessive,” he said. In time, he believes the price will drop to somewhere between €6,000 and €8,000. But that is just the beginning when it comes to possible applications for drones on Irish farms, according to Mr McMahon. He said the technology is being used by, among others, insurance assessors in the US. Source - http://www.irishtimes.com

Nigeria - Leadway Assurance excites country with Agribusiness Risk Management

This Thursday, September 22, 2016, farmers and Agribusiness practitioners in Northern Nigeria will have the opportunity of participating at the second edition of the Agricultural Risk Management and Solutions seminar hosted by Leadway Assurance Company Limited. Sources at Leadway Assurance, a leader in Risk Management and Solutions in Agribusiness in Nigeria, reveal that the organization has concluded plans to make this edition of the seminar most enlightening and informative, providing handy and effective risk management and risk transfer solutions that would excite farmers and agribusiness men and women in Northern Nigeria. The seminar is slated for Thursday, September 22, 2016 at the Asaa Pyramid Hotel, 13, Lafia Road, Off Independence Way, Kaduna. Expected beneficiaries from the programme include stakeholders in the Agribusiness such as large-scale farmers, investors and financiers, agribusiness consultants, insurance brokers, risk surveyors, loss assessors and adjusters working within the Agribusiness value chain. It would be recalled that Leadway Assurance Company Limited, on June, 2016, engineered the first edition of the Risk Management and Solutions Seminar held in Lagos. The event brought together agricultural entrepreneurs from different specializations like fish farming, poultry, crop farming, livestock farming etc. Speakers at the seminar included the Head, Agriculture and Micro Insurance Unit, Leadway Assurance Company Limited, Dr. Samson Ajibola and Head of Agriculture, Reinsurance Africa, Lovemore Forichi. Though Agribusiness has proven, over time, to be very lucrative, the risks often associated with it, like fire outbreaks, disease outbreaks, weather, erosion, flood and other malicious acts are currently not being well managed in Nigeria and, as such, stand as a great inhibition to the anticipated Agribusiness success and profitability. Though some of these risks are easily preventable, there are also many uncontrollable events that are often related to weather and the environment, all of which can cause swings in Agribusiness income. These are the risks the Leadway Agricultural Risk Management and Solutions seminar aims at tackling. Mr. Bode Opadokun, Managing Director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), recently corroborated the need for programmes like this when he highlighted the pending risks of locating an Agribusiness in areas more prone to disease outbreaks and other natural disasters, stressing the need for Agribusinesses to be insured by a reliable insurance provider against impending risks. Similarly, the Executive Director, General Business, Leadway Assurance, Adetola Adegbayi, at the Lagos seminar, emphasized the need for those in Agribusiness to seek cover for the risks involved. Source - http://www.niyitabiti.net

India - Government to scale down insurance cover for crop insurance fraud

Many farmers have found an ingenious but improper way to maximise their cash flow -by taking loans and insurance cover for a much bigger area and a more capital intensive crop than they cultivate, while banks don't bother to crosscheck as they are under pressure to show higher lending to the priority sector. The government is now considering strict measures including heavy penalty for misdeclaration of the crop and the area insured to end this menace which includes scaling down of subsidies given on premium payments. Government officials flagged the issue last week in agriculture ministry's meeting with states for the forthcoming rabi crop season. The Centre is determined to rectify during the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the biggest-ever crop insurance scheme, for which Rs 5,500 crore have been allocated in this year's budget. Besides imposing heavy penalty on rogue farmers, officials proposed that such farmers be debarred from the low-premium scheme for the season. The most glaring case highlighted in the meeting was from Churu in Rajasthan, during the rabi 2012-13 season, where 5.2 lakh hectares with gram plantation were insured, but revenue department estimated the sown area to be 1.27 lakh hectares while satellite imagery showed 2.34 lakh hectares. "Under PMFBY, the premium rate for all crops of a season is same, hence the probability of over insurance for risky crops for which historical claims are high may see a further increase in such areas," a note said. "(There is) tendency among farmers to show higher value crops in terms of scale of finance though they avail loans for low value crops with intention to fetch higher claims in case of yield losses," it said. "Lending banks do not object to it (reporting area discrepancies) due to their interest to fulfil target of the priority sector." Banks are " interested to insure their loan with subsidised crop insurance", according to a presentation at the conference. Gopal Naik, professor at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, said the problem persists as integrity of data cannot be verified. "As far as data is concerned, there is always a question because we don't have proper data from the government sources like crop area and so on. So, we have to go by farmer's declarations and this is what the government system accepts," said Naik who is on the board of directors of Agricultural Insurance Company (AIC) of India. Most issues relating to crop insurance have been linked to inadequate data collection. "Declaration is made at the time of taking loan which is provided by the bank or any other agency and insurance is based on that application. This particular process has been sort of a self-declaration and there is always some checks done, but I don't think it is foolproof," Naik said. According to the June 2016 quarterly report of AIC, operating profit from crop insurance business has decreased by more than 70%, compared to June 2015 quarterly report. According to government officials, farmers try to avail themselves of the entire loan they are eligible to take for their land at the beginning of the sea son although vagaries of weather determine what crop they plant and how much of the area they cultivate. Historically , cases of discrepancy in t area insured and area sown were re ported in every crop season. Dr PK Mishra committee report, which was submitted in May 2014, gave recommendations in this regard which have been incorporated in PMFBY. Source - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

India - Drone: The farm multiplier

Farmers want to cut input costs in an environment of uncertainties: Weather, pests, fertiliser costs, water availability and soil health. Drones, the unmanned aerial vehicles, equipped with sensors and imaging techniques, can cull out facts over vast stretches of farmland. The data can be utilised for farm growth. An IIT-Kharagpur graduate promises a new revolution. For decades, Indian agriculture scientists have tried and failed to predict onset of deadly diseases to crops. The result is enormous wastage of money and efforts. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India says annual crop losses caused by pests and diseases amount to Rs 50,000 crore, which is significant in a country where at least 20 crore people go to bed hungry every night. There is hope: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), popularly called drones, are coming. Punjab may soon see the rollout.The man behind the technology in this part of the country is Taran Singh (37), an IIT Khargpur graduate in agriculture. He is also an IIM Kolkata passout. He has worked in Indian and international markets, especially the UK and Middle East, for 11 years and has experience in management, consulting, business solutions, data analytics, food manufacturing and supply chain. Taran is eager to do something innovative in precision agriculture (application of precise inputs like water, fertilizers, and pesticides at the right time for increasing crop productivity). He is passionate about making a platform for community-based farming.“When I was in Class VII, I saw a documentary about an NRI who returned from overseas and revolutionized floriculture in Punjab. When I cleared IIT entrance exams, I chose B.Tech in agriculture from IIT Khargpur, the only IIT in India offering such a course,” he said.He says these drones can help in warning a farmer 10 days in advance about crop growth & water stress and fertilizer requirements by using artificial intelligence. How it works A drone is a flying computer and works with the help of artificial intelligence to make the best possible decisions in-flight. So, farmers can be advised about the exact amount of urea needed, for instance, in a wheat field. Most farmers in Punjab are small and marginal. They need to save on urea and water to cut input costs. Drones require a controller, something the pilot uses to launch, land, and navigate. Controllers can take many forms, from gamepad-like controllers to smartphones and tablets. Regardless of how they look, controllers need to communicate with the drone, and typically do that using radio waves. Drones are typically run by 2.4 gigahertz radio waves. To communicate with their aircraft, many drone controllers use Wi-Fi, which can be transmitted on the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum, and is something that smartphones and tablets can tap into without any accessories.Crop imaging over vast tracts of farmland can help in early detection of pests and weed attacks. “At the moment nobody in India is using agri-analytics. The deployment of drones will help farmers, insurers, commodity experts and even traders,” says Taran. Future is here There is a need for coordination among agriculture, corporate and commodity experts with guidance from academics, says Taran, adding his company Agnext is in talks with a leading university in Punjab. He has also tied up with a leading mobile equipment manufacturer to set up a demo centre in Gurgaon. The move will expand Internet of Things (proposed development of internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data). The food industry is quickly embracing the very latest Internet of Things devices and big data innovations. By collecting more and more data on crops and growing conditions, yields can not only be controlled, but predicted. This data enables farmers to access accurate information on growing conditions so they can implement changes to increase yields.In the near future, farmers may expect some help for speedy settlement of claims in crop insurance, thanks to drones. Insurers are taking a serious look at drones besides a real-time mobile application to address claim settlements. As part of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), deployment of drones has been allowed to estimate crop losses in localized calamities.“We are innovating digital interventions to solve agriculture issues, introducing a unique platform of hardware, software and analytics as a device. Our aim was to create integrated hyperlocal farm data collection and crop analytics platform using latest technological innovations,” says Taran. Source - http://www.tribuneindia.com

USA - What You Need To Know About Crop Insurance

For young growers, securing crop insurance can seem like a daunting task with all of the information available. Fortunately, there are options at your disposal through USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), which manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, providing crop insurance products to growers. Through the Federal Crop Insurance Program, approved insurance providers (AIPs) sell and service federal crop insurance policies in every state through a public-private partnership with RMA. RMA then backs the AIPs who share the risks associated with catastrophic losses due to major weather events. RMA Associate Administrator Tim Gannon offers young growers four pointers to keep in mind about federal crop insurance and what mistakes they should avoid. 1. People New To Farming And Ranching Can Get Special Considerations With its beginning farmers and ranchers provisions, USDA continues to serve the next generation of growers by improving access to land, capital, and risk management tools, Gannon says. Those who qualify for the beginning farmer and rancher designation, receive an extra 10% in premium subsidy, meaning the premium for crop insurance paid out of pocket by the grower is less. Furthermore, qualifying beginning growers do not have to pay an administrative fee for their policy, may use the production history of the previous grower from that farm, and are eligible for a higher substitute yield adjustment used for the years they did not have a history of growing the crop to help determine the expected yield. 2. Consider Going Organic Organic agriculture is experiencing remarkable growth in the U.S., seeing $39 billion in retail sales last year. The RMA oversaw $649.7 million in federal insurance coverage provided nationwide in the 2015 crop year for certified organic crops and those transitioning to certified organic. In addition to the same opportunities for crop insurance that are available to non-organic growers, RMA has established organic prices for 57 crops that more accurately reflect the higher prices organic growers receive for their crop. Also, for more than 60 crops, organic growers and growers transitioning to organic practices may now use their contract prices to cover an amount of liability that is more reflective of the actual value of their crop through the use of RMA’s Contract Price Addendum. Whole-Farm Revenue Protection coverage also is available to organic crop growers, Gannon adds. 3. Understand Your Coverage And The Covered Causes Of Loss Causes of loss are crop specific and can change depending on the crop. It is best to consult the specific crop provisions for more information regarding covered causes of loss, he says. Noteworthy causes of loss include: • Adverse weather conditions; • Failure of the irrigation water supply due to a specified cause of loss that also occurs during the insurance period; • Fire; • Insects, but not damage due to insufficient or improper application of pest control measures; • Plant disease, but not damage due to insufficient or improper application of disease control measures; and • Wildlife. 4. Know Your Dates Adhere to the deadlines in the Federal Crop Insurance Program. • Sales closing date: This is the date an application must be filed and is the last date you may change your crop insurance coverage for a crop year. • Acreage reporting date: This is the date you are required to submit your acreage report. • Earliest planting date: This is the initial planting date, which is the earliest date you may plant an insured agricultural commodity and qualify for a replanting payment, if such payments are covered by the policy. • Final planting date: This is the date a crop must initially be planted to be insured for the full production guarantee or amount of insurance per acre. 5. Crop Insurance Mistakes To Avoid If you are a young or beginning grower, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) Associate Administrator Tim Gannon says to steer clear of these five crop insurance blunders. 1. Waiting until a loss occurs to decide insurance is needed. Don’t wait until you have a loss to explore your options in managing risk. 2. Not dedicating time to learn about crop insurance choices. Spend the time needed to explore various combinations of crop insurance products, individual-based and area-based, to find the best fit for your farm. The RMA Agent Locator web page provides information about insurance agents and will help growers find agents selling crop insurance in their area. There even is a process by which you can request insurance on a crop that is not insurable in your county, but is insurable in other counties. For this, you may complete and submit a Request for Actuarial Change through a crop insurance agent. 3. Deciding you can’t afford insurance before checking out the possibilities. Every grower’s situation is a bit different and you will want to work with experts including your crop insurance agent, to consider your farm’s financial needs and risks, along with various choices and combinations of products for crop insurance. The RMA website shows all of the crop policies available as well as a cost estimator that can help you estimate the amount of insurance and premium. 4. Not buying because there isn’t an agent nearby. If you are having problems finding an agent, contact one of the insurance companies on the RMA website and talk to someone who can help you find an agent. 5. Not knowing your numbers. Records are important and so is figuring out whether a crop will be profitable. These same numbers will be used to determine the correct amount of insurance for risk protection for your farm and will be used to determine loss payments. Question From A Grower: What Are The Options When You Don’t Have Historical Yield Or Earnings Data? USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) Associate Administrator Tim Gannon addresses a question from a young grower seeking help with crop insurance. “I am a tree fruit grower in my third year of production, but the past two years my trees suffered freeze damage and I did not have a crop either year. This year, my orchard sustained hail damage. Because my orchard doesn’t have historical yield or earnings data, I can’t file a claim. What should I do?” Gannon: In this case, you could have purchased crop insurance in your third year, and the expected yield would have been determined based on a mixture of your actual production for the two previous years and a percentage of the county’s transitional yield, which is an average county yield as determined by RMA. Since you did not have production those first two years because of freeze damage, you could use a yield substitution option to replace the zero yields with 60% of the county transitional yield. Thus, you would have had historical data and could have received coverage. For some tree crops, there are additional requirements to be considered insurable, such as the age of the tree and/or minimum production. Another consideration would be if you qualify as a new producer. If you haven’t grown the crop in question for more than two years in the county, you could receive an initial yield of 100% of the county transitional yield. A young grower may also be eligible for beginning farmers and ranchers’ provisions, which would lower the premium and could increase any yield adjustments that were opted for as a result of adverse weather or natural disaster. Suggestion to the young grower: Go see an agent to learn about crop insurance and all the options that may be available as a risk management tool.

India - Rs 80 billion interest-free loans to be extended to 0.5 million farmers

The Punjab agriculture department has started registration of growers under 'Khushal Kissan Khushal Pakistan' scheme which is aimed at extending Rs 80 billion interest-free loans to 5,00,000 farmers having up to 12 acres of land. The registration will be carried out at tehsil land record centers, which will remain open from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm daily for a period of one month. The growers have been advised by the department to visit these centers along with original CNIC, mobile number and detail of their land. Tenants and lessees can also get themselves registered with permission from the original owner of the land. There is no fee for registration and a token will be issued after it, said a spokesman of the department on Monday. Under this special package, 500,000 growers, each having 12 acres of land, will be provided Rs 80 billion loans through small phones. The farmers will be extended interest-free loan of Rs 25,000 per acre during Rabi season and up to Rs 40,000 per acre in Khareef season besides giving them a smart phone for just Rs 110. Growers can use these smart phones for having access to information such as technical guidance, market rates, weather forecast, seed providers etc. The growers will be given loan in three instalments besides provision of crop insurance facility, said the spokesman. Representatives of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, National Bank, National Rural Support Programme, Akhuwat and Tameer Bank will contact the farmers who will fulfil the conditions of this loan. Farmers can contact the directorate of agriculture information Punjab from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm or agriculture extension wings office of their respective district. Source - http://www.brecorder.com

Africa - 'Smart farming' to help farmers tackle drought

Southern African farmers know a lot about climate change due to the worsening drought conditions they face. But, according to agriculture and development researchers, these farmers lack the resources to put solutions that work into place. That is in part because government agricultural extension services, which offer training and advice to farmers, have too few agents, states a report by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, based in the Netherlands. In many cases, farmers are simply not aware of potential solutions, said Oluyede Ajayi, a senior programme coordinator with the centre, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Johannesburg on scaling up climate-smart agricultural solutions. Such shortcomings are one reason an ongoing drought in southern Africa has left 23m people dependent on food aid, with another 13m in need of help, according to the Southern African Development Community, which launched a €2.5bn emergency appeal in July. But a new regional push, focused on promoting four key actions to adapt agriculture and curb growing hunger, could help, Ajayi said. The best ways to assist southern Africa’s farmers, agricultural experts said, are by increasing their access to insurance for crop failure and livestock deaths, and giving them better weather advice via mobile phones. Helping them diversify their sources of income is also key, they said, as is developing stress-tolerant seeds and better ways of managing land to conserve water. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

Chile - Frost damage to cherry crops uncertain

On the first days of September, Chile had a series of frosts that mainly affected the Sixth and Seventh Regions. While these frosts were expected, their magnitude surprised cherry producers in these regions. "The most affected region goes from Curico up to the coast, and even though we still don't know what the extent of the damage on the coming harvest will be, we estimate that 30% of the cherry flowers in this region have been damaged," the producers in the area said. The Sixth Region wasn't as affected by the frost. Hence the damage in this area would be moderate and producers believe that only 15% of crops will be affected. Generally speaking, producers took the appropriate and required preventive measures. Unfortunately, many producers don't have frost control systems, which makes things more difficult. According to weather forecasts, there should be be no more frosts in the next few weeks, but producers will take precautions for the whole month of September. Before the frost, the weather had been ideal to produce an extremely large harvest. Thus, its hard to calculate how the 2017 Chilean cherry campaign will be. As a result, it's also very difficult to know what percentage of the fruit was lost. "It is possible that a 30% damage to flowers will not necessarily affect the harvest volume producers expect. Additionally, most cherry producers have their crops in different areas, so the weather changes affect them differently," the producers stated. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

India - Add crop loss by wildlife in PM’s insurance scheme

Local MLA from Pilibhit and minister in the UP government Riaz Ahmad has written to the PM, requesting that a new provisions be added to the Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PFBY) for providing compensation to farmers whose crops are damaged by wild animals. The scheme does not cover this type of crop loss. The request comes in the wake of massive damage to standing cane and paddy crops by elephant herds over the past few weeks in the areas situated along the Indo-Nepal border. District magistrate Masoom Ali Sarvar has directed the agriculture as well as the social forestry department to prepare a report on the total agricultural area affected by the wild animals. In a recent incident, a herd of around 40 pachyderms trampled over crops spread over 10 acres and vegetables plots at village Naujalha Nakta Number 2 on Sunday night. A team of revenue department officials has inspected the damaged crops to assess the quantum of loss while a team of social forestry comprising the SDO, the range officer and forest guards was sent by divisional director Adarsh Kumar to camp in the affected village during the night. Minister of state (independent charge) for fishery and public enterprise Riaz Ahmad said a total of 2,33,387 hectare in the district comprises agricultural land and crops cultivated in more than 50% of this land are likely to be damaged due to frequent movement of wild animals through them. Referring to the 690-km-long periphery of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), Ahmad said except 50- to-60-km-long part of this periphery that adjoins the forest areas in Nepal and Uttarakhand, the rest adjoins agricultural belts of the district. The MLA said the eco-sensitive zone of PTR that borders a 5-km radius along the reserve's periphery, was facing the most appalling situation due to decimation of standing crops by the neelgai, wild boar and the monkeys. The divisional director said the agricultural belts along the dozen or so rivers which flow through the district are also the grazing ground of herbivores like neelgai and antelopes who live amid the long grass and shrubs found along river banks. District magistrate Sarvar said the joint field survey report of the social forestry and the agriculture departments would be sent to both state and central governments for protection of farmers from loss of crops caused by wild animals. Minister Ahmad said he had also marked a copy of his letter to the CM with an appeal to make arrangements for awarding compensations to farmers in case the Centre fails to provide a shield to farmers against crop damage by wild animals. Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India - MahaRain app to give 1 crore farmers rainfall data, help them plan crop cycle

MahaRain — the App developed in-house by the state agriculture department, is all set to provide over one crore farmers the rainfall data. The App, which is to be published soon on the Google Play Store, gives the farmer access to information on rainfall at the touch of a finger allowing them chalk out their cropping cycle. This is one of the many steps which the department has taken to ensure better planning and better data is generated from the fields, officials said. While the agriculture department maintains circle level data of rainfall on its website, its dissemination to the grassroot level has not happened. Uday Deshmukh, Chief Statistician of the Agriculture Department, said the App will allow farmers to access the data seamlessly. The department has more than 2,000 rain gauges which allows for rain measurement across the state. While various players do provide this data over subscribed SMSes, the App will make the process easier and more accessible. Meanwhile, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the flagship program of the central government, has promoted further use of technology in agriculture. Now, agriculture officers will use GPS technology to conduct surveys and prepare reports about the health and position of crops. One of the most critical exercises of an agriculture officer is to determine the crop yield. These reports are used both by insurance companies as well as government agencies for planning and settling of insurance claims. As PMFBY is an insurance policy against crop losses, information regarding crop health and expected yield rise of great importance. Instead of the traditional method of relying on visual inspection to determine the yield, the agriculture department has decided to use GPS technology and an App to feed data into the central server in Pune. Deshmukh said the App can be operated both offline and online. “It will allow the agriculture officer to Geo tag a field. Also, as the App would be on the smartphone of the officer, a picture can be taken of the filed conditions which will be tagged through GPS. This data would then be uploaded to the centre server,” he said. Once collated, this data would be analysed to give the expected yield of the crop for the season. Other than insurance claims, this data can be used for deriving various policy related interventions later on. Deshmukh said that master trainers training for all the 34 districts have been trained and a similar training will be held on September 19 also. At present, this App is being used to collect information about the ongoing harvest of black gram and green gram. Source - http://indianexpress.com

India - After politicians, agriculture officers attack crop insurance scheme

Having faced criticism from political parties in Haryana, the much-touted farm insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana(PMFBY) has run into fresh trouble in the state. Now, agriculture officers have accused the state government of "unnecessarily pressuring" them to meet targets related to the scheme, saying that it was impossible for them to achieve those. ADOs, working in the state agriculture and farmers welfare department, have been assigned crop-cutting experiments (CCEs) under the scheme. Though, initially, a private firm was to be assigned the job, the contract between the state government and the firm did not take shape. CCE is to be used for assessing the insurance amount for farmers in each village. The ADO Association Haryana met in Hisar on Saturday to discuss the problem. According to the association, the state government has directed ADOs to complete the process of collecting CCE data immediately. "However, the process can't be carried out right now, as some farmers have already started to harvest their crops," said association president Sushil Goyat. The ADOs said they were already engaged in collecting samples for Prime Minister's soil health card scheme, so forcing them to complete CCE quickly was not possible and would have chances of fabrication of reports. The ADOs claimed that the state government had threatened to charge-sheet them if CCEs were not completed in time. Goyat said the insurance amount under PMFBY was determined on the basis of the average crop production of the village assessed through crop-cutting experiment. The same process was to be carried by some private companies at the rate of Rs 547 per experiment. He said the agreement between the state government and companies could not be finalized on account of some disagreements. "We were assigned this job after that," he said. Goyat said paddy, cotton, bajra and maize crops were identified for CCE in this season. "So, four crop cutting experiments have to carried out in each village. Bajra has already arrived in the markets, and harvesting of early varieties of paddy and cotton has started. At this stage, it is not appropriate to carry out CCE, as the selection of fields and planning for such experiments had to be carried out at least 15 days prior to the start of harvest season," he said. Goyat said crop cutting experiments were a technical process and they also required the assistance of revenue officials for carrying them out. "A hurried exercise would ultimately lead to an illegitimate process. It would also be against the farmers' interest, as insurance companies might deny insurance to them in future on the grounds of not following CCE in accordance with guidelines," Goyat said. Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Germany - Hail late in the season

At the end of August, after a week of warm summer weather, a hailstorm caused considerable damage around Hamburg in northern Germany. The walnut-sized hailstones came down in the region of Bergedorf, which lies to the southeast of Hamburg. Most of the damage occurred in Vierlande, part of the region Bergedorf. Many greenhouses are located in this area. About 60 instances of damage were reported to the agricultural insurance. Greenhouses made up two-thirds of the reported damage and mainly minor damage at that (20 to 60 glass panes). However, for about 15 companies, the extent of the damage is up to 800 damaged panes. The stock in these greenhouses may also have been damaged to a significant extent. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="459"] On 28 august hailstones damaged more than 60 greenhouse companies in the area of Hamburg (Vierlande), photo: GV[/caption] The affected region is home to numerous companies that grow cut flowers, roses, and at least the current harvest has been affected. Even the next harvest might be affected, if the repairs take longer than 2 to 3 weeks. The day after the storm employees of the insurance company were already in the region to assess the damage. Due to the substantial size of the damage and the outstanding assessments of the crops, there isn’t a complete assessment of the total extent of the damage yet. The insurance company estimates the total damage to be between a half and one million Euros of insured losses. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com