TIRUCHY: The recent rains across the district have made the farmers rush for insuring their crops under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana. With the last date for enrolment ending on Monday, the total area of crop insured crossed a record high of 90,000 acres for all three agricultural crops.
For the second consecutive year, enrolment under the scheme for the Special Rabi Season has received a huge response from farmers in the district. Even though the situation has been very conducive for farming, the continuous heavy rain has made more farmers go for insurance cover.
According to the Agriculture Department, more than 75,000 acres of crops (paddy, maize and Cotton) were enrolled under scheme in Tiruchy till Sunday.
"Over the past three days, we have been witnessing enrolment throughout the day. Usually, a maximum of 10,000 acres would be insured on the final day.
However, the total area insured has crossed 20,000 acres in the last two days," a block-level agricultural official said.
Speaking to TNIE, Murugesan, Joint Director of Agriculture Department, said, "Breaking the all-time record (69,600 acres in Special Rabi Season coverage for 2020), this year's insurance enrolment has gone over 90,000 acres, including 25,000 acres of maize (total area cultivation 30,000 acres), 15,000 acres of cotton and 60,000 acres of paddy. As the enrolment ends Monday midnight, we expect the total area registered under insurance to cross one lakh acres."
Out of the three crops, farmers cultivating paddy have showed up in large numbers in the last three days, he added.
"Enrolment was initially a bit sluggish. Following a series of intense village-level awareness campaigns and consecutive days of heavy rainfall, more farmers have come forward to take up insurance," Murugesan said.
Kavundampatti Subramanian, secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, said large number of farmers are waiting at agricultural centres to enrol in the insurance scheme. Farmers have also requested the State government to extend the last date for insuring crops.
"Initially, the situation appeared very conducive for us and we decided to skip the insurance in a bid to save the money we would pay as premium. But, the rains have made us rethink and go for the insurance," Kanagaraj, a farmer from Tiruchy, said.