Crop insurance
Cover for a standing crop against the natural risks a farmer cannot control, from sowing failure and mid-season adversity to losses after harvest, under India's crop insurance schemes and commercial policies.
What it covers
Cover varies between insurers and plans. The policy wording is what decides whether a claim is payable, so read it before you buy.
- Yield loss caused by drought, flood, pest, disease and adverse weather
- Prevented sowing or sowing failure, where the scheme provides for it
- Mid-season adversity, where the scheme provides for it
- Localised calamities such as hailstorm, landslide and inundation, assessed farm by farm
- Post-harvest losses for crops left in the field to dry, for the period the scheme allows
Key features
- Government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme work through notified crops, areas and cut-off dates
- The farmer's share of the premium is subsidised, with the balance shared by central and state governments
- Sum insured is normally the scale of finance notified for the crop and area
- Enrolment is time-bound and voluntary: applications close on the cut-off date announced for the season
- Widespread loss is assessed area-wise from yield data; localised loss is assessed individually
- Commercial crop policies cover crops and risks outside the schemes: [SUM INSURED RANGE]
How to buy it
Four steps, with an advisor you can reach at any of them.
Tell us what to cover
Tell us the crop, the village and area sown, and the season, and we will check what is notified for you.
Compare plans
See premium, cover, exclusions and key terms from our partner insurers side by side.
Share details & KYC
Add the details the insurer needs and complete KYC with your PAN.
Get your policy
Pay online, the policy reaches your email, and your advisor stays with you at claim time.
Crop insurance: FAQs
What is PMFBY?
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the central crop insurance scheme. It covers notified crops in notified areas against yield loss, with the farmer paying a subsidised share of the premium and governments paying the rest.
Can I insure a crop after sowing has failed?
No. Enrolment closes on the cut-off date announced for the season, before the risk is known. That date is the thing to watch.
How is a claim assessed?
Widespread loss is assessed area-wise from crop cutting experiments and yield data for the insurance unit, so every insured farmer in that unit is treated alike. Localised events such as hail are assessed on individual farms.
What documents are needed?
Usually land records or a tenancy document, sowing proof, and bank and identity details, with the application made through a bank, a common service centre or the scheme portal: [DOCUMENT LIST] confirms what applies in your state.
Are horticultural crops covered?
Many horticultural and commercial crops are covered under weather-based schemes or commercial policies rather than yield-based cover. Which applies depends on the crop and the state notification.