Till now, 1 lakh farmers availed 19.54cr crop insurance in Himachal

Shimla: Even as the farmers all over India are taking to roads, demanding protection against the vagaries of the nature and the market, agriculture minister of Himachal Pradesh Virender Kanwar was quick to point out on Sunday that the state has provided relief to 1,01,585 farmers till date and a compensation of Rs 19.54 crore.

According to him, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) protects main crops like wheat, maize, paddy and barley as well as cash crops such as tomato, peas, ginger, garlic and capsicum from natural disasters like fire, sky lightning, drought, flood, water logging, hailstorm, cyclone, storm, landslide, cloudburst, pests and diseases.

He said under PMFBY, 8,436 in Bilaspur, 1,081 in Mandi, 1,764 in Sirmaur, 2,659 in Solan, 3,108 in Chamba, 45,875 in Hamirpur, 22,997 in Kangra, 15,652 in Una and 13 farmers in Kullu district were provided compensation. The minister also said premium rate of sum assured has been kept at maximum 5% for farmers under this scheme — 2% for kharif and 1.5% for rabi crop. If the premium rate is more than 5%, then the state and central government will bear it in the ratio of 50:50, he added.

He said climatic conditions have also been included in PMFBY. In case a farmer is unable to sow the crop in time due to less rainfall or unfavourable climatic conditions, the farmer will be covered.

According to the minister, PMFBY is voluntary for non-indebted farmers, while the farmers taking loans will be automatically insured by the financial institutions under the scheme, unless the farmer specifically asks to be exempted from it.