Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
PMFBY is the national crop insurance scheme. It covers a standing crop against non-preventable natural risks — drought, dry spells, flood, pest and disease attack, and certain post-harvest losses. The point of the scheme is that the farmer's share of the premium is capped at a low percentage of the sum insured, with government paying the rest; the cap is lowest for food and oilseed crops and higher for commercial and horticultural crops. Enrolment is voluntary. There are firm cut-off dates for each season, and claims depend on crop-cutting experiments in your notified insurance unit, so enrolling late or reporting a loss late are the two most common reasons farmers miss out.
What you get
Insurance cover for a notified crop against natural risks, with the farmer paying only a capped share of the premium.
Who can apply
- All farmers growing a notified crop in a notified area, including sharecroppers and tenant farmers
- Enrolment is voluntary for both loanee and non-loanee farmers
- Tenant and sharecropping farmers must be able to show documentary proof of the land they cultivate
How to apply
Enrol on the PMFBY portal, through a Common Service Centre, through your bank if you have a crop loan, or through an authorised insurance intermediary — before the cut-off date announced for that season and crop.
Documents usually asked for
- Aadhaar
- Bank account details (for claim settlement)
- Land records, or a tenancy/sharecropping agreement
- Sowing declaration / proof of sowing