Lok Sabha Question No. 4931 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-01
Subject: Crops covered under PMFBY
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4931

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  APRIL, 2025

## CROPS COVERED UNDER PMFBY

4931. SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana covers all crops in the country and if so, the details thereof including the details of crops eligible for insurance under the scheme;
- (b) whether the premium rates under PMFBY are subsidized by the Government and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether farmers need to pay the full premium for enrolling in the PMFBY and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether there are any conditions or exclusions regarding the types of natural calamities covered under PMFBY and if so, the details thereof specifying the type of events or risks that are not insured; and
- (e)  whether  farmers  can  avail  of  PMFBY  coverage  for  both  pre-sowing  and  post-harvest losses and if so, the details thereof outlining the coverage for these specific periods?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI  RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a): Government is committed to provide security to the farmers against climate risks.  A yield index based Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) have been introduced from Kharif 2016 season.

The  PMFBY  envisages  coverage  of  all  food  crops   (cereals,  millets  and  pulses), oilseeds  and  commercial/horticultural  crops  subject  to  availability  of  past  yield  data  of requisite number of years based on Crop Cutting Experiments  (CCEs)  as well as capacity of the State Government to conduct requisite number of CCEs to assess the yield of the crop to calculate claims.   However, specific crop is notified by the concerned State Government keeping in view the aforesaid provision.

For the crops not meeting the aforesaid conditions, the concerned State Government is  free  to  notify  them  for  coverage  under  Restructured  Weather  Based  Crop  Insurance Scheme   (RWBCIS)   under  which  claims  payment  are  being  structured  on  the  basis  of weather index parameters.

(b) & (c): The  actuarial/bidded  premium  rates  are  charged  by  implementing  agencies under PMFBY.  However, extremely low premium rate across the country for the season is charged from the famers, which is maximum 2% of sum insured for Kharif crops, maximum 1.5% of sum insured for Rabi crops and maximum 5% of sum insured for commercial/horticultural  crops.          Remaining  part  of  actuarial  premium  is  shared  by  the Central and State Government on 50:50 basis except North Eastern States (from Kharif 2020) and Himalayan States (from Kharif 2023) where it is shared in the ratio of 90:10.

Further,  Operational  guidelines  of  the  scheme  further  provide  for  3  Alternate  Risk Transfer models other than standard PMFBY, namely cup and cap model (80:110), cup and cap model (60:130) and profit and loss sharing model, under which in case of claims below certain threshold, portion of the premium paid by the Government as subsidy will go back to the State treasury.  States have been given the flexibility to choose  the main scheme any one of these models.

(d) & (e): PMFBY provides for comprehensive risk insurance against crop damage from pre-sowing to post-harvest for food crops (cereals, millets and pulses), oilseeds and annual commercial horticultural crops notified by the concerned State Government.     Risk coverage under the scheme is divided in to two parts namely, Basic Cover and Add-on Cover.

The Basic Cover, which is mandatory cover,  safeguards the crops of farmers against wide spread yield loss due to non-preventable natural risks viz. drought, dry spells, flood, inundation, wide-spread pest and disease attack, landslides, natural fire due to lightening, storm, hailstorm, and cyclone on Area Approach basis, where claims are worked out and settled based on yield data furnished by the State Government concerned.   In this case, farmer is not required to intimate the losses to the Government or insurance company.

However,      apart  from  the  mandatory  basic  cover,  the  State  Governments/UT Administrations,  with  approval  of  State  Level Coordination  Committee  on  Crop  Insurance (SLCCCI) can choose any or all of the following add-on covers, based on the need of the specific crop/area in their State/UT to cover different stages of the crop and risks leading to crop loss:

1. Prevented Sowing/Planting/Germination Risk can  be  invoked  when  Insured  area  is prevented from sowing/planting/germination due to deficit rainfall or adverse seasonal/climatic conditions.

2. Mid-Season Adversity can be invoked during loss in case of adverse seasonal conditions during the crop season viz. floods, prolonged dry spells and severe drought etc., wherein expected yield during the season is likely to be less than 50% of the normal yield. This addon feature  facilitates  the  provision  for  immediate  relief  (On-  Account  payment)  to  insured farmers in case of occurrence of such risks.

3. Post-Harvest Losses can be invoked to provide coverage up to a maximum period of two weeks from harvesting, for those crops which are required to be dried in cut and spread / small bundled condition depending on requirement of the crops in that area and left in the field  after  harvesting,  against  specific  perils  of  hailstorm,  cyclone,  cyclonic  rains  and unseasonal rains.

4. Localized Calamities can be invoked in case of loss/damage to notified insured crops resulting from occurrence of identified localized risks of hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloud burst and natural fire due to lightening affecting isolated farms in the notified area.

5. Crop loss due to attack by wild animals can also be notified by the State Government as per special provisions given in the Operational Guidelines of the scheme.

In case of add on cover, where claims are worked out on individual insured farm level, claims are assessed by a joint committee comprising representatives of State Government and concerned insurance company.   In this case, farmers have to intimate the loss within 72 hours  of  the  loss  to  State  Government,  insurance  company,  concerned  bank/financial institutions, online on portal etc. These loss intimations are liable to be scrutinized by the concerned insurance companies before finalization of claims and the extent of loss is decided by the committee of State Government officials and concerned insurance company. Further,  under  RWBCIS,    claims are  worked  out on  the  basis  of  adverse  weather parameters, such as deficit and excess rainfall, high or low temperature, humidity etc. which are  deemed  to  impact  adversely  the  crop  production.    Thus,  claims  are  dependent  on weather/climate data received from the notified Weather Stations/Rain Gauge Stations. Losses arising out of war and nuclear risks, malicious damage and other preventable risks are excluded from coverage under the scheme.

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