Weather-based crop insurance for Maharashtra farmers

The Maharashtra Government has allowed HDFC ERGO GIC Ltd to implement a pilot weather-based crop insurance scheme (WBCIS) for loanee and non-loanee farmers for Mrig Bahar in Kharif 2012. The crops to be covered are orange in Akola and Buldhana; guava in Jalna and Buldhana; and sweet lime in Aurangabad, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed and Buldhana districts. The WBCIS offers insurance cover to the farmers against losses caused by aberrant weather conditions during the crop cycle. The claim amount will be settled on the basis of data taken from reference weather stations as mentioned in the scheme and managed by independent third party organisation.