Resentment prevails among apple growers over delay in settlement of claims under the Weather-Based Crop Insurance (WBCI) scheme for the financial year 2015-16. Farmers rue the claims finalised by the insurance companies were negligible despite poor crop yield. The state produced 2.10 cartons of apple this year. Sources said as many as 1.28 lakh farmers had sought insurance claims under the WBCI scheme in 2015-16, for which the state government had engaged the AIC, HDFC, ICICI Lombard and IFFCO. Lakshman Thakur, chairman, Ecohort Society of Farmers, Nandpur, said, “It is shocking we are not getting even half of the premium paid to the companies this year under the WBCI scheme. It was one of the leanest crop years as the weather remained dry from December 2015-July 2016.” Farmers claimed lack of mandatory chilling hours, rains and snowfall along with high velocity winds and hailstorms damaged apple trees in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi and Kinnaur districts. They rued the claims finalised by the insurance companies were too little. They further maintained damage due to fire was not covered under the WBCI scheme despite the fact that dry weather conditions led to outbreak of wild fires. BS Guleria, deputy director, Horticulture Department, said the claims would be paid by December end and the list was being finalised. “We covered the risk of crop loss due to high velocity winds, but not wild fire”, he said. He said the claims were finalised on the basis of weather data, adding, the policy aimed to cover the risks, notified by the government, the loanee farmers suffered due to adverse weather.Meanwhile, the Agricultural Insurance Company Ltd has blamed the state government for delay in settlement of claims stating it has not paid 50 per cent of its share to the company. Jaspal Singh, regional manager, AIC, Chandigarh, said, “The state government has not sent any information about the claims finalised by the other private insurance companies engaged by the state for the year 2015-16 so far.” The state government has asked farmers to pay the premium for FY 2016-17. Its deadline expires on December 20. Source - http://www.tribuneindia.com