Farmers' leaders say the insurance amount is meagre because of the high production cost and low prices for the products in the state.
A woman drying rubber sheets in Central Kerala. Photo: Supplied.
The Union government bringing more crops under the ambit of the weather-based crop insurance scheme has come in as a cool breeze for Kerala’s rubber and coconut farmers, reeling under climate change, global warming, and plummeting prices.
However, the farmers felt it would have only a minor impact on the farming sector. The weather-based crop insurance scheme aims at providing insurance coverage to farmers against adverse weather conditions, such as deficit and excess rainfall, high or low temperature, humidity, etc, that might hurt crop production.
“It is happening at a time when the state is witnessing a significant drop in the production of natural rubber and coconuts due to climate change. Though the production is less, the prices are not increasing because of the free flow of imported rubber and coconuts into the local markets,” Wayanad-based farmers’ leader PT John told South First.
“The local buyers are not feeling any scarcity because of the availability of the products from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, and the prices here remain very low,” he pointed out.
Even as he welcomed the Union government’s move, he felt it would not have a major positive impact on the lives of ordinary farmers.
He said the extended coverage is only up to ₹1 lakh per hectare, which is meagre in the case of Kerala.
M Vijayakumar of the Kerala Karshaka Sangham agreed, noting that the cost of production is high in Kerala because of higher wages.
“In North Indian states, the insurance cover of ₹1 lakh per hectare may be reasonable. But in Kerala, the input costs — wages and fertilisers, and chemicals prices — are high. The Kerala farmers will benefit only if they are provided a proper insurance cover,” he said.
Across Kerala, rubber cultivators have been demanding a minimum support price of ₹300 per kg. The Union government has not yielded to the demand despite having the support of several pro-BJP Christian bishops and the state unit of the BJP.
“The production cost of one kg of rubber is around ₹240, and the farmers are getting ₹120 per kg. In such a situation, the farmers prefer a reasonable support price rather than insurance,” Sathyan Mokeri of the All India Kisan Sabha said.
Coconut farmers in Kerala are facing a stiff challenge from their counterparts in Tamil Nadu’s Pollachi and Coimbatore. In Kerala, pest attacks, too, remain high.
According to Agricultural Department sources, small grains and legumes have also been included under the insurance cover, but such farmers are very few in Kerala. For small grains, the state is dependent on others.
Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran pointed out that most crops that the central scheme covers come under the insurance of the state Agriculture Department.
“In addition to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which provides insurance cover in case of destruction of crops, the extended scheme also provides coverage for crop damage due to climate change. The benefit can be availed even if there is a significant reduction in yield due to weather conditions,” he explained.
Kerala Agriculture Department Secretary B Ashok said state government insurance covers crops completely damaged in extremely rough weather conditions. This trend has been visible for the past six years.
Officials confirmed that weather-based crop insurance has been extended to all districts, including Alappuzha, and Pathanamthitta districts, and the Kuttanad region, where floods and landslides destroy crops during the monsoon season.
They said the details, such as climate factors and the recording mode for each crop covered under the scheme, will soon be notified.
So far, the Union government scheme has covered selected crops in districts with weather stations. As part of expanding the project, such stations will be set up in all panchayats.
The Ministry of Agriculture is implementing the scheme through the Agriculture Insurance Company, a sub-sector institution, with the help of the State Agriculture Department. The Union government is also considering a proposal to bring various insurance systems in the agriculture sector under one umbrella.
The insurance cover will also be extended to losses suffered due to lack of rain, drought, torrential rains, untimely rains, pest infestations, strong winds, and landslides. The insurance amount will be transferred to the farmer’s account.
