BHUBANESWAR: The Centre has finally recognised crop loss due to wild animal attack and paddy inundation under localised risk category for coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
Under the revised framework of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, crop loss due to wild animal attack will now be recognised as the fifth add-on cover under the localised risk category.
The ministry has asked all the states to notify the list of wild animals responsible for crop damage and identify vulnerable districts or insurance units based on historical data. Farmers will be required to report losses within 72 hours using the crop insurance app by uploading geotagged photographs.
This decision of the Centre is in response to the long-standing requests from several states including Odisha to protect farmers who have been sustaining crop losses year after year due to these localised factors. The Agriculture ministry will roll out the operation guidelines for crop loss due to wild animal attack and paddy inundation under localised risk category from kharif 2026 as farmers’ registration for kharif 2025 was wrapped up by the end of July.
Paddy inundation was removed from the localised calamity category in 2018 due to concerns about moral hazard and the difficulty of assessing submerged crops. However, its exclusion led to a significant distress among farmers in districts prone to cyclone and flood.
Sources in the Agriculture department said it is not clear if sugarcane crop loss due to inundation will be included in the localised calamity peril category or not.