Chandigarh, December 3
The Haryana Government has decided to introduce insurance against unseasonable rainfall for wheat crop this rabi season. The Agriculture Minister, Mr. A.S Chatha, has forwarded a proposal to the Chief Minister for clearance. The innovative wheat insurance will be introduced in five districts of the state on a trial basis and likely to be extended to others areas next year.
The proposal that has been cleared in principle will receive a nod soon, sources in the Chief Minister’s office said. The insurance will cover farmers, who buy insurance before December 31, against untimely rainfall between March 1 and April 15.
The insurance is optional for farmers, but the state has made it compulsory for the farmers who have taken a loan against their crop. Haryana had introduced insurance on crop vigour (biomass index measured by satellite) and temperature last year, but keeping in mind the success, has decided to protect farmers against rainfall.
The Agriculture Insurance Company of India will provide the insurance. Under cover farmers will automatically be eligible for compensation without making any representation to the government or the company for claim if adverse conditions are recorded by the satellite in biomass indexing and if the produce of the district falls below the past 10- year average.
Till last year, insurance was provided for wheat in three districts on two parameters. These were crop vigour (biomass index measured by satellite) and temperature. Temperature has a direct linkage with productivity and if the temperatures fall below normal during February and March, the productivity falls. If the temperatures fall below previous year’s average, farmers automatically become eligible for compensation.
With the introduction of insurance coverage for unseasonable rain in a six-week period between March 1 and April 15, the farmers in the five districts of Haryana will
receive insurance at the rate of Rs 8,000 per acres or Rs 20,000 per hectare.
The farmer will have a choice to get his crop insured for any of the three factors i.e. crop vigour, temperature and unseasonable rainfall. During the past years, the Agriculture Insurance Company of India was providing insurance directly to the farmers without the help of insurance agents. But this year, the Haryana Government has tied up with mini banks to act as agents for the insurance company. This will take insurance coverage to the doorsteps of the farmers.
Mini banks will stock literature, conduct awareness programmes, make database of farmers, etc for which they will be paid a service charge by the Agriculture Insurance Corporation.
The scheme has been introduced by the state on the pattern of the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme. Last year, in three districts, only 96 farmers opted for insurance. Twentyseven became eligible for compensation. Besides, Ambala, Karnal and Rohtak, Hisar and Bhiwani have been added to the list where farmers can get an insurance which will be available till December 31.
The Haryana Land Reclamation Corporation and the Haryana Agro Industries Corporation have substantial acreage under wheat, which will be brought under wheat insurance. Overall Haryana has 37.29 lakh hectares under cultivation, where marginal farmers (with less than 1 hectare) till 47 per cent of the land, small farmers (with less than 2 hectares) 20 per cent and 33 pr cent by farmers with over 2 hectares.
The Agriculture Insurance Company of India has requested to extend a 50 per cent subsidy on insurance premium to small and marginal farmers and 35 per cent to other farmers to make the scheme popular. But the Haryana Government has proposed to give a subsidy on the same pattern as has already been given for the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme. Under this scheme, marginal and small farmers are given a 10 per cent subsidy towards insurance premium by the state.
This scheme will come into force from the current rabi season and will cover Ambala. Karnal, Rohtak and Bhiwani, except Siwani, block will be covered for crop vigour, unseasonal rain and temperature, whereas Hisar district and Siwani block of Bhiwani district only for unseasonal rainfall and temperature.
