Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar says climate change affecting farmers

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday spoke about difficulties faced by the farmers due to unseasonal rains caused by climate change. Replying to a debate about crop loss faced by farmers, Tomar also said that the government is reviewing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to see how it can be made more beneficial for farmers. He said the entire world is facing the results of climate change and is finding ways to deal with it.

"There is a change in the weather in the country. There are unseasonal incidents, unseasonal rains, the farmer is suffering," he said.

Further revealing the statistics of the rainfall the country has recorded, the Minister stated that the government was taking steps to deal with the impact of climate change and the ministry has also launched missions and evolved crop varieties that are resilient to the impact of climate change. He said the government was deliberating how to make the PMFBY more beneficial to farmers as agriculture is the backbone of the economy. "A review is being done of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. We will look into the suggestions and see how these are practical," he said.

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Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

The PMFBY was launched in 2016 and replaced all the prevailing yield insurance schemes in India.  The scheme has extended coverage under localised risks, post-harvest losses, etc. The scheme further claims at the adoption of technology for the purpose of yield estimation. It also aims at increasing the crop insurance penetration in India through increased farmer awareness and low farmer premium rates.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) aims at supporting sustainable production in agriculture sector through providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen events and stabilising the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming

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(With Inputs from ANI)