Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) & Crop Insurance Super Hub

Under the Operational Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), if a crop suffers localized damage due to hailstorm, unseasonal rainfall, field inundation, landslide, or post-harvest loss in cut-and-spread condition, the farmer must intimate the loss to the insurance company, bank, or local agriculture officer within 72 hours of the occurrence. Failure to intimate within 72 hours can lead to claim rejection under individual assessment provisions.

Farmer premium shares are statutorily capped by the Government of India: exactly 2.0% of the sum insured for Kharif food and oilseed crops (paddy, soybean, cotton, maize), 1.5% for Rabi crops (wheat, mustard, gram), and 5.0% for annual commercial and horticultural crops (sugarcane, onion, potato, banana, chilli). The remainder of the actuarial premium is funded 50:50 by the Central and State Governments. In Maharashtra, under the "Ek Rupayat Pik Vima" scheme, farmers pay only ₹1 token fee per crop application, with the state government absorbing the rest.

The surveyor and agriculture officer require: 1) The 72-hour loss intimation reference slip, 2) Land record extract (7/12, Khasra, or Patta), 3) Sowing declaration (Pik Pahani / Girdawari), 4) Bank passbook showing PMFBY premium debit or KCC linkage, 5) Aadhaar card, and 6) Clear geo-tagged photographs showing affected field boundaries and crop damage severity.

Widespread yield loss is determined by State Agriculture Departments through statistical Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs). The statutory compensation formula is: Claim = [ (Threshold Yield - Actual Yield) / Threshold Yield ] × Sum Insured. Threshold Yield is calculated as the average yield of the best 5 out of the preceding 7 years multiplied by the notified indemnity level (70%, 80%, or 90%).

Post-harvest losses are covered for up to a maximum period of 14 days from harvesting for those crops that are kept in "cut and spread" condition in the field for drying against specific perils of cyclone, cyclonic rains, and unseasonal rains throughout India.