THANJAVUR: The crop insurance coverage for samba and thaladi in Thanjavur district has fallen by 66,500 acres compared to last year’s figures as the cut-off date for farmers to pay premium ended on November 15. Farmers attribute this to non-extension of the last date as done during last year and the growing apathy of farmers to insure their crop due to poor record of claim payment by private insurance companies.
Samba and thaladi were cultivated in Thanjavur district to an extent of 2.43 lakh acres till November 15. The total area insured by farmers was 1,77,071 acres on this date. Last year farmers’ insurance covered 2,43,608 acres, which is 66,537 acres more than this year’s coverage.
The farmers pointed out that the total area of cultivation would go up as transplantation is still going on in tail-end areas of the Grand Anaicut Canal (GAC) and lake-irrigated areas in Sengippatti and Budalur.
“We asked for extension of the cut-off date for crop insurance, but it didn’t happen this year,” said V Veerasenan, a farmer from Ponnavarayankottai village which depends on GAC. Last year, the cut-off date was extended from November 15 to 22. During the extension period around 75,000 acres was insured, officials data show.
Veerasenan wanted the cut-off date to be extended this year also so that farmers who are now transplanting paddy could benefit. He added that instead of enrolling farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the state could opt out from it as done by some states like Gujarat and West Bengal and directly compensate those farmers affected by natural calamities including drought, floods etc.