Extend cut-off date for crop insurance: TN to Centre

CHENNAI: Considering the delay in the northeast monsoon and non-release of Cauvery water and the poor coverage of crop insurance, the Tamil Nadu government wrote to the Union Government requesting approval for extending the cut-off date and opening the National Crop Insurance Portal for enrolment of Paddy II (Special Season) crop till November 30, 2023, in the State.

“Delayed onset of northeast monsoon, inadequate/uneven distribution of rainfall, poor storage in major reservoirs, non-release of Cauvery water to Delta districts have delayed the sowing of Paddy II resulting in poor coverage under crop insurance,” read a letter written by L Subramanian, Commissioner of Agriculture to Ritesh Chauhan, Joint Secretary and CEO of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

“Moreover the farmers were not able to access the services of Common Service Centres and Financial Institutions due to persistent issues on the National Crop Insurance Portal and continuous holidays for Dussehra and aDeepavali festivals. Hence, the Farmers’ Associations of Tamil Nadu have asked for cut-off date extension for enrolment of Paddy II,” it noted. Accordingly, insurance companies such as IFFCO Tokio GIC, HDFC Ergo GIC, and Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited have given their consent to extend the cut-off date while consent from AICIL is awaited.

“Government of India is requested to give approval for extending the cut-off date and open the National Crop Insurance Portal for enrolment of Paddy II (Special Season) crop till November 30,” it added.

Notably, the enrolment of Paddy II (Special Season) commenced from September 15, 2023 in Tamil Nadu and the cut-off date for enrolment for Paddy II ended on Wednesday for Ariyalur, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Karur, Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Ranipet, Salem, Sivagangai, Thanjavur, Theni, Tiruchirappalli, Tirupathur, Tirupur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, Vellore and Villupuram districts.