Farmers can apply for crop insurance without IDs, Centre relaxes norms
he exemption enables all cultivators, including tenants, temple land cultivators and sharecroppers, to register for crop insurance until December 1 without a farmer ID.
Farmers (IANS)
CHENNAI: In a relief for tenant farmers across the State, the Union government has approved Tamil Nadu's request to relax the mandatory farmer ID requirement for enrolling in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), to seek financial assistance and income stability against crop loss from natural calamities, pests, and diseases, for the 2025–26 samba and navarai seasons.
The exemption enables all cultivators, including tenants, temple land cultivators and sharecroppers, to register for crop insurance until December 1 without a farmer ID.
The PMFBY is being implemented statewide across the kuruvai, samba and navarai seasons. Earlier this year, the Centre had waived the farmer ID requirement for kuruvai insurance, following Tamil Nadu's appeal. For the samba season, registrations on the national crop insurance portal were open from September to November 15. However, continuous rains and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls delayed enrolment, prompting the State to seek an extension. Acting on this request, the Centre extended the deadline to November 30.
Samba cultivation has so far covered 31.33 lakh acres in Tamil Nadu. Of this, 19.06 lakh acres have been insured by 7.95 lakh farmers, representing 61 per cent coverage and marking an increase of one lakh acres from last year. During the extended period alone, 66,000 farmers insured an additional 1.63 lakh acres.
The Centre's decision on November 25 to reinstate the mandatory farmer ID rule created fresh hurdles for tenant farmers. Following persistent intervention by Tamil Nadu, the rule has now been relaxed once again, ensuring full access to insurance benefits for all samba and navarai cultivators.
State Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare MRK Panneerselvam urged farmers to complete their registrations with the required documents by December 1. He also appealed to landowners to promptly obtain their farmer ID through e-Seva centres.
Meanwhile, compensation disbursal under the 2024–25 insurance year has reached Rs 697 crore out of the sanctioned Rs 794 crore, benefiting four lakh farmers. The remaining amount will be credited once the Centre releases its share of Rs 67 crore.