Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jun 29: With the kharif sowing season under way, the agriculture department has urged paddy farmers across the coastal districts to enrol in the Karnataka Raitha Suraksha Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, highlighting the scheme as a crucial safeguard against crop losses caused by natural calamities and adverse weather conditions.
Registration for the crop insurance scheme has already commenced, with IndusInd General Insurance Co Ltd appointed as the implementing agency for Dakshina Kannada district. The last date for enrolment is August 14.
An official said farmers need to pay a premium of Rs 611.91 per acre, equivalent to 2% of the insured sum of Rs 30,595.32 per acre. Eligible farmers can pay the premium at their nearest bank before the deadline.
Explaining the benefits of the scheme, the official said compensation would be provided if sowing fails in more than 75% of the notified area during the monsoon owing to natural calamities or unfavourable weather conditions. Farmers will also be eligible for compensation if crop loss exceeds 50% between sowing and harvesting, or if harvested produce is damaged by unseasonal or storm-related rain within two weeks of harvest.
Crop losses caused by localised natural calamities such as landslides, crop submergence, and hailstorms will be assessed by the insurance company in accordance with the scheme guidelines.
The official further said that if sowing fails due to inadequate rainfall across 75% of the land in a notified gram panchayat, affected farmers would receive 50% of the insured sum immediately as relief.
Farmers can register for the scheme through the nearest GramaOne, Karnataka One, hobli raitha samparka kendra, or designated bank branches.
The agriculture department has fixed a target of 10,000 hectares of paddy cultivation in Dakshina Kannada this season, but only 70 hectares have been sown so far.
Against the requirement of 830 quintals of paddy seed, the district currently has 750 quintals in stock, of which 540 quintals have already been distributed. Gowda also assured that there is no shortage of fertilisers, with nearly 15,000 tonnes of various fertiliser grades available for distribution.
Meanwhile, the paddy cultivation target for neighbouring Udupi district has been fixed at 36,000 hectares for the current season.