Crop insurance coverage needs to be enlarged and made universal by including all crops and insuring major risks that may lead to crop failure, a report by the Standing Committee on Finance has suggested.

It has also recommended an integrated and comprehensive credit-crop-livestock health insurance package for all farmers to promote integrated farming.

Farmers who have not availed institutional credit including tenant farmers and share croppers, too, need to be brought under the ambit of crop insurance by popularising the schemes in various ways, the report on ‘state of rural/agricultural banking and crop insurance’ added.

The report described the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, launched in the on-going kharif cropping season, as a “path-breaking” scheme which aims to provide insurance coverage against losses due to natural calamities, pests and diseases and stabilise the income of farmers.

While farmers who avail credit are covered under crop insurance schemes by banks providing the loan, the report suggested that wide publicity needed to be provided about the schemes through electronic media, mobile phones and Krishi Vikas Kendras, so that the scheme became popular among the entire farming community and confidence is instilled about the efficacy of the scheme.

Pointing out that merely 20 per cent of sown area is insured in the country, the Standing Committee said that efforts needed to be made to increase it.

It highlighted the need for a comprehensive credit-crop-livestock health insurance package pointing out that there was a need to increase the risk-bearing capacity of farmers by promoting integrated farming (comprising livestock, animal husbandry, fish-breeding in land-locked areas, pisciculture) and associated crop insurance.

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