Lok Sabha Question No. 2025 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Loss of Foodgrains and Vegetables due to Natural Calamities
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Ujjwal Raman Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2025

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  MARCH, 2025

## LOSS OF FOODGRAINS AND VEGETABLES DUE TO NATURAL CALAMITIES

+2025.   SHRI UJJWAL RAMAN SINGH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

(a) the quality of the loss of foodgrains, fruits and vegetables due to natural calamities in the country during the year 2022-24;

(b) the corrective steps taken by the Government to deal with the adverse impact of the same on the economy due to this loss;

(c) whether the Government have made any change in the norms for the assistance related to damage to crops due to natural calamities like flood, drought, hailstorm etc. during the said period;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to increase the compensation provided for crop loss due to natural calamities, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) & (b) : No data is available about quality of  losses of food grains and vegetables due to natural calamities. Steps taken by the Government to prevent post-harvest losses in horticulture crops/other crops  due to natural calamities and to assist farmers in the event of loss are at Annexure - I.

(c) to (e) : The items and norms of assistance are reviewed and revised after the award of successive Finance Commission.  Taking into account various factors including the price rise, the Government had revised list of items & norms of assistance from SDRF and NDRF for the period 2022-23 to 2025-26 on 10th October 2022, which was further, modified on 11th  July  2023.  These  norms  are  available  on  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  website: www.ndmindia.mha.gov.in.

## Annexure -I

For reducing the post-harvest losses in horticulture crops, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) under which assistance is provided for Post-Harvest Management (PHM). Postharvest management infrastructures including establishment of cold storages (up to 5000 MT), primary/mobile processing units, pack houses, pre-cooling units, controlled atmosphere, reefer vans, and setting up of ripening chambers. These components are demand & entrepreneur driven for which credit linked back ended subsidy is available through respective State Horticulture Missions. Under PHM component, credit linked back ended subsidy @ 35% in general areas and 50% hilly and tribal areas is available for creation of various types of post-harvest infrastructure.

The National Horticulture Board (NHB) is implementing a scheme namely 'Capital Investment  Subsidy  for  Construction/Expansion  /Modernization  of  Cold  Storages  and Storages for Horticulture Products'. Under the scheme, credit linked back-ended subsidy at the rate of 35% of the capital cost of the project in general areas and 50% in case of North  East,  hilly  &  scheduled  areas  for  construction/expansion/modernization  of  cold storage and Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage of capacity above 5000 MT and up to 10000 MT is available. In case of North East region, the units with capacity above 1000 MT are also eligible for assistance.

The  Government  implements  yield  based  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana (PMFBY) and weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) from Kharif 2016 to provide financial support to the insured farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of natural calamities, adverse weather incidence and to stabilize the income of farmers etc. Comprehensive risk insurance is provided under the scheme from pre-sowing to post-harvest losses and actuarial/bidded premium is charged by the insurance companies but farmer has to pay lower premium of maximum 2% of sum insured for Kharif season and 1.5% of sum insured for Rabi season for food and oilseed crops and 5% of sum insured for commercial/horticultural crops.  The remaining of actuarial/bidded premium is shared equally by the Central and State Governments except North Eastern States, where it is shared in the ratio of 90 : 10 between Centre and State and provided to the  insurance  companies  directly  by  the  Government  through  fund  routing  agency  i.e. Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd.

All the admissible claims/losses are worked out and paid as per the provisions of the  operational  guidelines  of  this  scheme.  However,  losses  due  to  localized  risks  of hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloud burst & natural fire and post-harvest losses due to cyclone, cyclonic/unseasonal rains and hailstorm for a specified period of 15 days after harvest  are  calculated  on  individual  insured  farm  basis  on  inspection  by  a  Committee constituted  by  the  concerned  State Government comprising State officials and officials from insurance companies and loss assessors.  Also, there  is a provision to pay claims towards prevented sowing/failed germination and adhoc claims in  case of mid season adversity.

Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI)' sub-scheme of Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) is implemented across the country for creation of agricultural marketing infrastructure including Scientific Storage,  to  reduce  post-harvest  &  handling losses of foodgrains, promote pledge financing and market access in the country, For fruits and vegetables, there is a provision for stand-alone standardised cold storage units as per standards promoted by NCCD up to 1000 as per the MIDH cost norms.

AMI  is  a  capital  investment,  open-ended,  demand  driven,  credit  linked,  subsidy scheme, wherein back ended subsidy @ 25% and 33.33% is available based on the eligible category  of  beneficiary.   Assistance  is  available  to  Individuals,  Farmers,  Group  of farmers/growers, Agri-pruners, Registered Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs), Cooperatives, and State agencies etc.

The primary responsibility for disaster  management rests with the State Governments  concerned.  The  Central  Government  provides  requisite  logistics  and financial support to the efforts of the State Governments. The State Governments provide financial relief to the affected people in the event of 12 notified natural disasters, which includes  drought  and  flood,  from  the  State  Disaster  Response  Fund  (SDRF),  already placed at its disposal, in accordance with approved items and norms of Government of India. However, in the event of disaster of a severe nature, additional financial assistance is  extended  from  the  National  Disaster  Response  Fund  (NDRF),  as  per  laid  down procedure, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team. The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation.

The  Government  is  taking  several  steps  to  promote  climate  resilient  agriculture practices in the country. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) being implemented by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is one of the Missions within the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Mission aims to implement strategies  to  make  Indian  agriculture  more  resilient  to  the  changing  climate.  Several schemes  have  also  been  initiated  under  National  Mission  on  Sustainable  Agriculture (NMSA) to deal with the adverse climate situations in the agriculture sector. Per Drop More Crop  (PDMC)  scheme  increases  water  use  efficiency  at  the  farm  level  through  micro irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)  scheme  is  implemented  as  a  component  of  NMSA  and  focuses  on  Integrated Farming  System  (IFS)  for  enhancing  productivity  and  minimizing  risks  associated  with climatic variability. The Soil Health & Fertility scheme assists states in promoting Integrated Nutrient Management through judicious use of chemical fertilizers including secondary and micronutrients in conjunction with organic manures & bio-fertilizers for improving soil health and its  productivity.  Mission for Integrated  Development of  Horticulture,  Agroforestry  & National Bamboo Mission also promote climate resilience in agriculture.

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