SRINAGAR: Farmers in Jammu and Kashmir have received Rs 209.36 crore in crop insurance compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) since the scheme was launched in 2016, with the Union Territory recording a 96.4 per cent claim settlement rate, according to data placed before Parliament on Tuesday.
The figures were disclosed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 444, answered by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur.
The Government informed Parliament that claims worth Rs 217.17 crore have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir under PMFBY and the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) between 2016-17 and 2025-26, of which Rs 209.36 crore has already been settled. Nationally, claims amounting to Rs 2,02,491.64 crore have been paid against reported claims of Rs 2,08,419.04 crore, translating into an overall settlement rate of 97.16 per cent.
The year-wise data show considerable fluctuations in crop losses and compensation in Jammu and Kashmir over the past decade.
In 2016-17, farmers reported crop insurance claims worth Rs 9.82 crore, all of which were settled. The following year, 2017-18, reported claims increased to Rs 27.15 crore, with the entire amount paid to farmers.
Claims dropped sharply in 2018-19, when only Rs 0.10 crore worth of claims were reported. However, no payment was recorded against those claims during that period.
Crop losses increased substantially in 2019-20, with reported claims rising to Rs 52.75 crore. Insurance companies settled Rs 52.72 crore, making it one of the highest compensation years for farmers in the Union Territory.
In 2020-21, reported claims declined to Rs 6.46 crore, of which Rs 6.34 crore was paid.
The following year, 2021-22, claims rose again to Rs 36.36 crore, while payouts reached Rs 35.16 crore.
During 2022-23, farmers filed claims amounting to Rs 26.96 crore, and Rs 26.56 crore was disbursed.
The highest reported crop losses in Jammu and Kashmir came in 2023-24, when farmers lodged insurance claims worth Rs 57.58 crore. Against these, Rs 51.61 crore had been paid as compensation by the time the data were compiled.
The Ministry’s reply does not provide claim figures for 2024-25 and 2025-26 in the Jammu and Kashmir section of the annexure, indicating that these may still be under reconciliation or processing as of 30 June 2026, the cut-off date for the data.
The parliamentary reply also announced a policy change regarding crop losses caused by wild animals. It said such losses were previously excluded from PMFBY because they were considered preventable. However, following requests from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and several state governments, losses caused by wild animals have been permitted as an add-on insurance cover from the Kharif 2020 season onwards. The additional coverage is optional and can be offered by states at their own cost under the operational guidelines of the scheme.
Across the country, Maharashtra recorded the highest insurance payouts since the launch of PMFBY, with Rs 47,501.15 crore settled, followed by Rajasthan (Rs 34,806.09 crore), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 31,991.04 crore) and Karnataka (Rs 20,124.92 crore).
The PMFBY, launched in 2016, is the Centre’s flagship crop insurance programme aimed at protecting farmers against crop losses arising from natural calamities and other notified risks while ensuring timely financial support to affected cultivators.
