Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Explore the features, benefits, and other coverage details of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
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3 min
16-February-2024

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a government program aimed at helping farmers protect their crops from natural disasters like floods, droughts, and pests. It provides affordable insurance to cover the costs if a farmer's crop fails due to these reasons. By offering financial support and stability, PMFBY encourages farmers to continue farming and adopt new, better practices.Farmers can manage their policies and claim details through the PMFBY login portal.

Since its start in 2016, millions of farmers have signed up for the scheme, receiving over Rs. 95,000 crore in claims to help them recover from losses. With low premiums, PMFBY ensures that all farmers in India have access to this important support, helping to secure the nation's agricultural sector.

What is PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana)?

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a comprehensive crop insurance scheme launched by the Government of India. The PMFBY full form stands for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. This initiative aims to provide financial support to farmers suffering crop losses due to natural calamities like floods, droughts, pests, and diseases. PMFBY ensures farmers' income stability, promotes the adoption of innovative agricultural practices, and encourages sustainable farming.

Feature

PM Fasal Bima Yojana Scheme

Objective

Protect farmers from crop losses

Coverage

Damage due to natural calamities, pests, and diseases

Eligibility

All farmers, including sharecroppers and tenant farmers

Premium

Affordable rates, subsidised by the government

Launched by

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare

PMFBY login

pmfby.gov.in


Also read: Health insurance

Key features of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Discussed below are the key features of PMFBY:

  • Comprehensive coverage: PMFBY offers comprehensive insurance cover against crop failure, aiming to stabilise farmers' income and encourage innovative farming practices.
  • Crop Inclusion: The scheme covers all food and oilseeds crops and annual commercial/ horticultural crops for which past yield data is available, ensuring a wide range of crops are protected.
  • Compulsory and voluntary coverage: While the scheme is compulsory for loanee farmers obtaining Crop Loan/ Kisan Credit Card accounts, it's voluntary for other farmers with insurable interests in the crop.
  • Affordable premiums: Farmers pay low premiums, with rates set at 2% for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, and 5% for Commercial/ Horticultural crops.
  • Cost-Sharing: The premium's difference and insurance charges are shared equally by the Centre and State governments.
  • Implementation: PMFBY is implemented through Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AIC) and other private general insurance companies selected by state governments through bidding.
  • Area approach: The scheme operates on an area-based approach, with insurance units at the village or village panchayat level for major crops, ensuring effective coverage.
  • Risk assessment: Loss assessment due to natural risks is conducted on an area approach basis, while localised perils and post-harvest losses are assessed at individual farm levels.
  • Indemnity levels: Farmers can choose indemnity levels of 70%, 80%, or 90% based on crop risk.
  • Smart technology integration: The scheme integrates technology like remote sensing and drones for accurate yield estimation and loss assessment.
  • Claim settlement: Claim amounts are credited electronically to individual insured bank accounts, ensuring transparency and timely payment.
  • On-account Claims: Provision for on-account claims is available in case of adverse seasonal conditions during crop seasons, providing timely support to farmers.
  • Eligibility and application: All farmers growing notified crops in a notified area are eligible, with the application process outlined by state governments.
  • Exclusions: The scheme covers various risks but excludes certain perils like war, nuclear risks, and preventable losses.
  • Sum insured: Sum insured is calculated based on the scale of finance or threshold yield, ensuring adequate coverage for farmers' losses.

Read more: Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)

Eligibility criteria for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

The below criteria ensure that farmers across India have access to comprehensive crop insurance coverage under PMFBY, safeguarding their livelihoods against unforeseen agricultural risks. The PMFBY login system provides a user-friendly interface for farmers to access policy details, track claims, and stay informed about their coverage status. This digital platform enhances transparency and ensures timely support, empowering farmers to secure their crops and invest confidently in their agricultural practices.

Farmers eligible

All farmers growing notified crops in a notified area during the season with an insurable interest in the crop are eligible.

Compulsory coverage

Farmers in the notified area who possess a Crop Loan account/ Kisan Credit Card (KCC) account and to whom credit limit is sanctioned/ renewed for the notified crop during the crop season must enroll in the scheme.

Voluntary coverage

Farmers not covered under compulsory coverage, including those with expired credit limits, can opt for voluntary coverage.

Crop coverage

The scheme covers all crops for which past yield data is available and grown during the notified season in a Notified Area.

Notified area

The size of the Unit of Insurance (Notified Area) depends on the area under cultivation within the unit, usually at the Village/ Village Panchayat level for major crops.

Insurable risks

Risks such as yield losses due to natural calamities like fire, lightning, storm, flood, drought, pests, and diseases are covered.

Exclusions

Excluded risks include war, nuclear risks, riots, theft, malicious damage, and losses due to preventable causes.

Loanee farmers

For compulsory coverage, the sum insured is determined based on the Scale of Finance or threshold yield, and the insurance charges are financed by the bank.

Voluntary farmers

For voluntary coverage, the sum insured is based on the threshold yield multiplied by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) or gate price of the crop.

Also, read: Ladli Behna Yojana

Coverage and premium under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Given below are the details for PM Kisan Fasal Bima Yojana:

  • The Scheme can cover all the Crops for which past yield data is available and grown during the notified season, in a Notified Area and for which yield estimation at the Notified Area level will be available based on requisite number of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) being a part of the General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).
  • All farmers growing notified crops in a notified area during the season who have insurable interest in the crop are eligible.
  • The rate of Insurance Charges payable by the farmer will be as per the following table:

Season

Crops

Maximum Insurance charges payable by farmer (% of sum insured)

Kharif

Food and oilseeds crops (all cereals, millets, & oilseeds, pulses)

2% of sum insured or Actuarial rate, whichever is less

Rabi

Food and oilseeds crops (all cereals, millets, & oilseeds, pulses)

1.5% of sum insured or Actuarial rate, whichever is less

Kharif and rabi

Annual commercial / annual horticultural crops

5% of sum insured or Actuarial rate, whichever is less

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Risks covered under PMFBY

Following risks leading to crop loss are to be covered under the PM Fasal Bima scheme:

Yield losses (standing crops, on notified area basis): 

Comprehensive risk insurance is provided to cover yield losses due to non-preventable risks, such as

  • Natural fire and lightning
  • Storm, hailstorm, cyclone, typhoon, tempest, hurricane, tornado etc.
  • Flood, inundation and landslide
  • Drought, dry spells
  • Pests/ diseases etc.

Prevented sowing

If most farmers in an area intend to plant crops but can't because of bad weather, they can claim up to 25% of their insurance for the crops they couldn't sow.

Post-harvest losses

If crops are left in the field after harvesting to dry but get damaged by specific events like cyclones or unseasonal rains within 14 days, farmers can claim insurance for these losses.

Localised calamities

If a farm is affected by specific local disasters like hailstorms, landslides, or floods, the farmer can claim insurance for the damages caused by these events.

Exclusions under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Certain risks and losses are not covered by the insurance. These include:

  • War and similar dangers
  • Nuclear risks
  • Riots
  • Intentional damage or harm
  • Theft
  • Conflict with others
  • Damage caused by animals
  • Crop losses after harvesting if they were bundled up before threshing
  • Other risks that could have been prevented

Read more: Employees' State Insurance Scheme (ESIS)

Claim process and settlement

For coverage through banks

The claim amount along with particulars will be released to the individual Nodal Banks.These banks, at the grass-root level, will then credit the accounts of the individual farmers and display the particulars of beneficiaries on their notice board. Farmers can check their PMFBY claim status through their bank or the PMFBY portal to stay updated on their claims. The banks will also provide individual farmer-wise claim credit details to the Implementing Agency (IA), which will be incorporated into the centralised data repository. This system ensures transparency and timely disbursement of claim amounts to the beneficiaries.

For coverage through other insurance intermediaries:

he claim amount will be released electronically to the individual insured bank account.

Insurance is a cornerstone of financial stability, offering protection against unforeseen events like accidents, illnesses, and natural disasters. It shields individuals and businesses from crippling financial losses, providing peace of mind and enabling long-term planning. Insurance ensures individuals and families can maintain stability and recover from setbacks, allowing them to focus on their well-being and future goals.

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of PMFBY?

The benefits of PMFBY include affordable crop insurance against natural disasters, timely claim settlements, income stability for farmers, and encouragement for adopting innovative farming practices. Farmers can also conveniently check their claim updates through the PMFBY claim status portal.

What is the claim amount for PMFBY?

The claim amount for PMFBY depends on the extent of crop loss and is calculated based on predefined scales of compensation per hectare. It covers the cost of replanting or compensates for yield loss, ensuring financial stability for farmers.

Who launched the PMFBY?

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched by the Government of India in January 2016, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This initiative aims to provide comprehensive crop insurance to protect farmers against natural calamities.

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