Revised Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will be rolled out from the Kharif 2026 season.

Key Changes introduced under Revised PMFBY

• New Coverage Added: Crop loss due to wild animal attacks is included as the fifth add-on cover under localized risks.
  • States will notify a list of wild animals (e.g., elephants, wild boars, nilgai, deer, monkeys) and vulnerable districts based on historical data.
• Reintroduced Protection: Paddy inundation has been restored as a localized calamity cover after being removed in 2018.
  • This covers flood-prone and coastal states where paddy submergence due to heavy rains and river overflow is common.
• Mandatory Reporting: Farmers must report crop losses within 72 hours using the Crop Insurance App.
  • Reporting requires uploading geo-tagged photos of damaged fields to ensure quick, transparent, technology-driven claim processing.

Benefits of Including Crop Loss from Wild Animal Attacks

• Reduces financial stress for farmers in forest-adjacent and wildlife-conflict-prone regions.
• Improves timely compensation through mandatory geotagged photo reporting on the Crop Insurance App.
• Mitigates human–wildlife conflict by decreasing retaliatory actions against wild animals.
  • Elephants and other animals are killed or injured due to use of counter measures such as poison, fireworks, traps, etc.
• Strengthens risk coverage for areas with frequent elephant, wild boar, nilgai, deer, or monkey incursions.
  • Monkey caused millions of dollars in annual crop damage, including to valuable apple farms in Himachal Pradesh.
• Supports climate- and ecology-sensitive farming where wildlife pressures worsen climate-induced risks.

About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

• PMFBY was launched in 2016 under the One Nation–One Scheme model, replacing the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and the Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
• Aims: PMFBY aims to provide financial protection to farmers against crop loss due to natural disasters (hail, drought, famine), pests, and diseases.
• Objective: To provide financial assistance and support to farmers suffering from crop damage or loss arising out of unforeseen events.
  • To stabilise the income of farmers and ensure continuance in farming. 
  • To encourage the farmers to adopt modern and innovative agricultural practices.
  • To ensure crop diversification, and credit-worthiness of the farmers, enhance growth and competitiveness of the agriculture sector and protect the farmers from production risks.
• Eligibility: Farmers, including sharecroppers and tenant farmers, growing notified crops in notified areas

Crops Covered under PMFBY

• Food crops such as cereals, millets, and pulses are insured for notified areas.
• Oilseed crops with adequate historical yield data qualify for coverage.
• Annual commercial and horticultural crops receive insurance where standard crop-cutting estimations exist.
• Perennial horticultural crops may be insured under pilot projects with approved yield-estimation methods.

Cost Sharing for Insurance Premium

• Farmers pay fixed subsidized premiums: 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi, and 5% for commercial/horticultural crops.
• Government bears the rest as subsidy, split as:
  • Normal states: 50% Central + 50% State
  • North-East and Himalayan states: 90% Central + 10% State
• Central subsidy capped at 25% of gross premium in irrigated districts and 30% in non-irrigated districts; excess borne by States.

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Risks Covered under PMFBY

• Yield Losses: Covers non-preventable natural events including drought, flood, cyclones, storms, hailstorms, pest attacks, and plant diseases.
• Prevented Sowing: Offers up to 25% of the sum insured when farmers cannot sow due to adverse early-season weather.
• Post-Harvest Losses: Protects crops kept in “cut and spread” condition for drying up to 14 days after harvest.
• Localised Calamities: Includes hailstorms, landslides, inundation, and newly reintroduced paddy inundation from Kharif 2026.
• Wild Animal Attacks: Adds compensation for crop damage caused by notified species identified by the State governments.

Conclusion 

The revised PMFBY with wildlife damage and paddy inundation coverage enhances agricultural resilience, farmer protection, mitigates conflict, and promotes an equitable, responsive, and future-ready crop insurance system for India.

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