KOZHIKODE: Small and marginal farmers in the district who mainly grow coconut and banana have responded positively to the Agriculture Department’s revamped crop insurance promotion campaign , which was launched on Saturday. As many as 2,321 farmers under the small and marginal category submitted applications through various Krishi Bhavans on day one itself and got their doubts clarified.
The target is to cover 3.81 lakh farmer families in Kozhikode district, ensuring protection for around 1,55,677 hectares (ha) of gross cropped area. Only those who complete the formalities will be considered by the government for future crop loss-related compensation claims. The insurance coverage will be available for 25 crops.
“We are getting positive feedback from farmers in premium remittance too. Last Saturday, as many as 165 farmers from the district remitted premium to the department’s account,” said H. Suresh, Deputy Director of Agriculture (Credits). He said farmers were cooperating with Krishi Bhavans while remitting premium.
For banana growers, the annual premium amount for a sapling is just ₹3. In case of crop loss, they will be eligible to claim a compensation of up to ₹300. Coconut growers also have reasons to be cheerful under the revamped scheme that offers coverage up to ₹2,000 per tree at an annual premium of just ₹2. At a district-level review meeting of the department here on Monday, officials were asked to meet the already specified target within the respective Krishi Bhavan limits as part of ensuring total enrolment. A minimum of ₹1 lakh will have to be collected as premium from within each Krishi Bhavan limits.
