Heavy rains, localized cloudbursts and floods have resulted in over 41 lakh claims filed for crop loss under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in Maharashtra. Compensation worth Rs 2.63 crore has already been transferred into the account of 4,974 farmers till date. Many parts of the state have witnessed heavy rains over the last few weeks. Isolated cases of cloudburst has been also been reported in Maharashtra. The end of September and October has become a time of concern for the farmers here as heavy rains have become a common feature over the last few years. Rains lash out the harvest ready crops like soyabean, cotton, bajra, vegetables as well as horticulture crops like grapes. The farmers in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions are prone to such losses given the propensity of heavy rains during the retreat. The growers from these areas have over the years also been in the forefront in insuring their crops. The long tail of the retreating monsoon continues to cause rains in many parts of Maharashtra. Maharashtra has this season seen 96.61 lakh applications with the farmers paying Rs 656.02 crore as their share of the premium. Of the 41.63 lakh applications received, the survey for 30.56 lakh claims have been completed which amounts to compensation worth Rs 835.80 crore. The survey of 11.07 lakh claims is yet to be completed. Besides, the long gap in the monsoon rains in July-August has seen the farmers’ loose crops due to low soil moisture as well as attack by pests and insects. Of the 15 districts which have reported such claims, three district namely Jalna, Gondia and Kolhapur have completed payment of Rs 45.41 crore to the farmers. The work for claim settlement in the other districts is on. The agriculture department has expressed hope that all claims would be settled by Diwali.
