Karnataka - Bangalore

Insurance scheme extended to more crops

BANGALORE: The State Government has extended the weather-based insurance scheme for five crops in the current rabi season (2008-09).

The scheme would be applicable for maize (irrigated and rainfed), groundnut (irrigated and rainfed), potato (irrigated), grape and mango crops in 16 districts.

The scheme would become operational in 88 blocks of 16 districts. They are Bangalore (Rural), Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chitradurga, Chickballapur, Davangere, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Haveri, Kolar, Koppal, Raichur and Tumkur. Most of these districts are drought-prone, according to officials in the Agriculture Department.

The weather-based crop insurance scheme aimed at providing insurance protection to the cultivator against adverse weather conditions such as deficient and excessive rainfall, frost, heat (temperature) and relative humidity, which affect the crops.

All farmers, who borrowed crop loans, have to be compulsorily covered under the weather-based scheme. But such farmers are not eligible for insurance under the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme, which is yield-based.

Those farmers who borrowed crop loans for groundnut (irrigated and rainfed), potato (irrigated) and grape crops have to submit applications for the weather-based scheme before December 15 while those borrowed loans for maize (irrigated and rainfed) and mango have to apply before December 31.

The Agriculture Department has appealed to the farmers to contact Raitha Samparka Kendras and banks for more details regarding the insurance scheme.

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