Mango farmers of Krishna district have been deprived of an opportunity to insure their crop because of delay in issuing the Government Order.
Krishna District is the largest producer of mango in the State. The King of Fruits, as it is referred to, is cultivated in 65,000 hectares.
A large section of farmers are known to sell the crop to traders at the flowering stage. The weather can play havoc with the crop at different stages.
The pilot Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) announced for the Rabi 2011-12 addresses all the vagaries of the weather, but many farmers could not pay the premium within the stipulated time because of the inordinate delay in issuing the G.O. While the State government issued the G.O. on January 3, the last day for payment of premium was January 31.
According to the G.O. it is compulsory for all ‘loanee applicant cultivators' that have been sanctioned credit limit by cooperative banks, commercial banks, including private banks and RRBs, to insure their crop under the scheme.
Sixteen districts – Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari, Krishna, Kadapa, Kurnool, Chittoor, Ranga Reddy, Mahaboobnagar, Nalgonda, Warangal, Khammam, Karimnagar and Adilabad – were notified under the scheme.
The Horticulture Department even offered 50 per cent subsidy on the premium which is different for mango trees of different age.
While the premium for a tree that is between 5 and 15 years is Rs. 52, premium for a tree that is between 16 and 50 years is Rs. 92.
Crop can also be insured on the basis of hectares, Rs. 5,200 per hectare of young trees and Rs. 9,200 per hectare of older trees.
The State and Central governments are sharing the bill for the subsidy equally.
According to the scheme the crop is insured against excessive and ‘unseasonal' rain between January 1 and February 29, temperature fluctuation between January 1 and March 15 and the drop is also covered against high wind speeds that may occur in between March 1 and May end.
Unfortunately, not a single mango farmer has paid premium in Krishna district for the new scheme this season and is therefore not eligible for insurance coverage in case of loss caused by these weather factors.
