Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) 2026

Direct answer. PMFBY gives comprehensive crop insurance at minimal premium — 2% for kharif, 1.5% for rabi, 5% for commercial/horticulture. Government subsidises the rest. Claim within 72 hours of damage by calling 14447 or via insurance company app. 8 crore farmers insured per year. Voluntary since 2020 (was mandatory for KCC loanees earlier). Apply at any bank (auto for KCC) or online at pmfby.gov.in (non-loanees).

• Premium: 2% (kharif) / 1.5% (rabi) / 5% (commercial/horticulture).
• Government pays: rest of the actuarial premium.
• Claim window: 72 hours from damage event.
• Cut-off: 31 July (kharif) / 31 December (rabi).
• Helpline: 14447 (toll-free).
• Claim stuck? 🪄 RTI in 60 sec.

PMFBY launched 18 February 2016 by Department of Agriculture, MoA&FW. Replaced the earlier National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) + Modified NAIS. Operates via empanelled public + private insurance companies: AIC, HDFC ERGO, ICICI Lombard, Bajaj Allianz, etc.

• Low premium for farmer — 1.5–5% (rest paid by govt).
• Comprehensive risks covered:
  • Pre-sowing — failed sowing due to weather/water shortage
  • Standing crop — drought, flood, pest, disease
  • Post-harvest — cyclone/cyclonic rains for cut crops on field
  • Localised calamities — hailstorm, landslide, inundation
• Sum insured = scale of finance × area cultivated (typically ₹15k–60k per acre).
• Smartphone-based claim — Crop Insurance App.

Calculated as scale of finance × area. Example: Wheat scale of finance ₹40,000/ha, you have 2 ha → sum insured ₹80,000. Premium @ 1.5% = ₹1,200 (you pay).

• Farmer growing notified crops in notified area.
• All farmers: small, marginal, large; tenant or owner.
• KCC loanees: auto-enrolled at sowing (premium debited from KCC account).
• Non-loanees: must enrol online at pmfby.gov.in OR through bank.
• Sharecroppers + tenants: covered if Lease Cultivation Certificate in state.

1. Aadhaar card (mobile-linked)
2. Land documents (RoR / patta / pahani / khasra)
3. Bank passbook (Aadhaar-seeded)
4. Sowing certificate OR patwari sowing report (mandatory for non-loanee)
5. Photograph — passport-size
6. For tenants: Lease Cultivation Certificate

1. Auto-enrolled at sowing.
2. Premium debited from KCC account at 1.5–2%.
3. You receive enrolment SMS.
4. Opt-out allowed: visit bank within 7 days of premium debit, fill opt-out form.

1. Online: pmfby.gov.in → “Apply as Farmer” → enter Aadhaar, land, crop, area.
2. Pay premium online (UPI / netbanking).
3. OR offline: visit bank / CSC / insurance company office with documents + cash.
4. Cut-off: 31 July (kharif) / 31 Dec (rabi). Apply 7+ days before cut-off.

1. Damage occurs (cyclone, hailstorm, flood, drought, pest attack).
2. Within 72 hours — call 14447 OR insurance company helpline OR file via Crop Insurance App.
3. Provide: name, Aadhaar, mobile, location, crop, sum insured, type of damage.
4. Surveyor visits within 7–10 days.
5. Crop-cutting experiment (CCE) for area-based losses.
6. Damage assessment + CCE results finalised in 30–60 days.
7. Claim DBT to your bank in 60–90 days from damage.

File RTI to insurance company for: (a) damage assessment report, (b) CCE results for your village, © reasons for denial. First Appeal under §19(1) RTI in 30 days if PIO doesn't reply.

• Not reporting within 72 hours — claim auto-rejected.
• No proof of sowing — for non-loanee farmers, patwari sowing certificate is critical.
• Wrong crop declared — premium debited but coverage doesn't match → claim denied.
• Aadhaar–bank mismatch — claim DBT silent failure.
• Skipping CCE participation — your village's CCE result determines area-based claim. If your panchayat misses CCE, your claim may default to lower compensation.

• 2025–26 reform: simpler claim process, smartphone-only filing, faster CCE via drone surveys.
• WBCIS (Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme) continues for districts where PMFBY isn't operational.
• PMFBY 2.0 discussions ongoing — yet to be formally announced.

Auto at sowing — bank debits premium from your KCC account. Sum insured = scale of finance × area you've declared. SMS confirms.

No — cut-off is hard. Try the next season (rabi 31 Dec).

Likely your village CCE (crop-cutting experiment) showed lower-than-actual damage. File RTI for: CCE locations, who conducted, methodology, results. If CCE was flawed, file complaint with State Agriculture Insurance Cell + First Appeal.

Yes — most states have own crop insurance / disaster relief. Stackable. Each has its own claim process.

Only with Lease Cultivation Certificate (state-specific — AP, Odisha, Karnataka, TN).

Many districts have WBCIS (Weather-Based Crop Insurance) instead. Check at https://pmfby.gov.in → “Notified Districts”.

Yes — PMFBY covers prevented sowing if pre-sowing rainfall is below threshold. Claim with patwari report on date of attempted sowing + actual rainfall data.

Voluntary since 2020 — opt-out within 7 days of premium debit notification. Bank cannot refuse opt-out request.

• KCC — credit + auto-PMFBY
• PM-KISAN — ₹6,000/yr cash
• Soil Health Card — free soil test
• e-NAM — sell crops online
• MGNREGA — 100 days work
• 🌾 All farmer schemes

• PMFBY official
• Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare
• Helpline: 14447

• KCC & Fasal Bima claim status (2026)

Last reviewed: 3 May 2026.

• Infographic concept: 3-row premium table: Kharif 2% / Rabi 1.5% / Commercial 5% farmer share. Government covers the rest. 4 risk windows: pre-sowing → standing crop → post-harvest → localised.

1. Minimal flat icon of a crop with a shield around it (insurance).
2. Cyclone + drought + pest icons in a row (multi-risk coverage).
3. Cell phone with PMFBY app and 14447 helpline.

Realistic photo of an Indian farmer in a wheat field after rain damage, holding his smartphone with PMFBY claim screen.

PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) — complete guide on claims, delays, and using RTI for crop insurance issues:

1. Step 1: What is PMFBY? (a) PMFBY is the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (launched in 2016 — by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare — to provide crop insurance to farmers against natural calamities, pests, and diseases), (b) the coverage: (i) all food crops (cereals, millets, pulses), (ii) oilseeds, (iii) annual commercial/horticultural crops (cotton, sugarcane, etc.), © the premium: (i) 2% of sum insured for kharif crops, (ii) 1.5% for rabi crops, (iii) 5% for commercial/horticultural crops — the rest is subsidised by the government (50% by Centre, 50% by State), (d) the sum insured: equal to the scale of finance (the crop loan amount — as notified by the District Level Technical Committee), (e) the implementation: through insurance companies (empanelled by the government — both public and private — like LIC, AIC, ICICI Lombard, HDFC Ergo, etc. — the farmer enrols through the bank or the Common Service Centre).
2. Step 2: Claim process. (a) on-season approach (the claim is based on the yield data — collected by the State Government — through Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) — conducted at the village level — by the agriculture department), (b) the CCEs are conducted (for each crop — in each village — as per the prescribed methodology — and the yield is estimated), © if the actual yield is less than the threshold yield (the average yield of the area — for the past 7 years — minus the yield of the notified calamity year): the claim is triggered, (d) the claim amount = (threshold yield - actual yield) x sum insured / threshold yield, (e) the insurance company processes the claim (within 21 days of receiving the yield data from the State Government — and the claim is credited to the farmer's bank account — directly), (f) for localised calamities (hailstorm, landslide, inundation): the farmer can file an individual claim (within 72 hours of the event — to the insurance company — or the bank — with evidence — photos, videos), (g) for post-harvest losses (within 14 days of harvest — due to unseasonal rain or cyclone): the farmer can file an individual claim (within 72 hours).
3. Step 3: Common claim problems. (a) claim not received (the farmer's crop was damaged — but the claim was not credited — because: (i) the CCE was not conducted — or was conducted incorrectly, (ii) the yield data was not submitted — or was submitted late — by the State Government, (iii) the bank account is not linked — or the IFSC code is wrong, (iv) the farmer's name is not in the portal — or the name is misspelled), (b) claim amount is wrong (the claim was credited — but the amount is less than expected — because: (i) the threshold yield is set too high, (ii) the actual yield is reported higher than the actual damage, (iii) the sum insured is lower than the scale of finance), © CCE not conducted (the CCE is the basis for the claim — but the CCEs are often not conducted — or are conducted on healthy crops — or the data is manipulated — by the agriculture department officials), (d) delay in claim settlement (the insurance company takes months — or years — to process the claim — because the State Government delays the yield data — or the insurance company delays the processing), (e) enrolment issues (the farmer paid the premium — through the bank — but the enrolment is not reflected in the portal — because the bank did not upload the data — or uploaded wrong data), (f) name mismatch (the farmer's name in the bank account — the Aadhaar — and the PMFBY portal — do not match — and the claim is rejected).
4. Step 4: File RTI. File RTI with: (a) the District Agriculture Officer (or the District Level Implementation Committee) asking for: (i) the CCE data (for [village] — [crop] — [year] — the date of CCE — the yield estimated — and the CCE report), (ii) the threshold yield (for [village] — [crop] — [year] — and the data used to calculate it), (iii) the claim status (for the farmer [name] — [crop] — [year] — whether the claim is processed — and the amount — and the date of credit), (iv) the number of CCEs conducted (in [village] — [crop] — [year] — and the list of farmers covered — and the claims paid), (b) the insurance company asking for: (i) the claim status (for the farmer [name] — policy number [number] — whether the claim is received — and processed — and credited), (ii) the reason for delay (if the claim is not processed — the specific reason — and the expected date), (iii) the claim amount (and the calculation — and the yield data used), © the bank asking for: (i) the premium payment record (for the farmer [name] — [crop] — [year] — whether the premium was deducted — and remitted to the insurance company — and the date), (ii) the enrolment data (whether the farmer's data was uploaded to the PMFBY portal — and the date — and any errors), (d) the State Agriculture Department asking for: (i) the yield data submission (to the insurance company — for [district] — [crop] — [year] — the date of submission — and the data), (ii) the total claims paid (in [district] — [crop] — [year] — the number of farmers — and the total amount — and the pending claims).
5. Step 5: Grievance redressal. (a) file a grievance on the PMFBY portal (pmfby.gov.in — the grievance module — with the policy number and the details), (b) the grievance is forwarded to the insurance company (and the State Government — and must be resolved within 15 days), © if not resolved: approach the District Agriculture Officer (with the RTI reply — and the grievance number), (d) if the DAO does not resolve: approach the District Collector (who chairs the DLIC — and can order the insurance company to process the claim), (e) if the DC does not resolve: file a writ petition (in the High Court — under Article 226 — the court can order the insurance company and the State Government to process and pay the claim — with interest and compensation).
6. Step 6: Practical tips. (a) check the PMFBY portal (pmfby.gov.in — with the Aadhaar number — or the mobile number — to verify the enrolment and the claim status), (b) ensure the bank account is linked with Aadhaar (and the IFSC code is correct — and the name matches — to avoid claim rejection), © file RTI early (the CCE data and the yield data are available for a limited time — file RTI within 3-6 months of the crop damage — to get the data before it is lost), (d) cite the PMFBY guidelines (the operational guidelines — 2023 — which mandate claim settlement within 21 days of yield data submission — and penalty for delay), (e) Example: A farmer's cotton crop was damaged in [district] — the claim was not received — the farmer filed RTI with the District Agriculture Officer — asking for the CCE data — the CCE was not conducted in the farmer's village — the farmer filed a grievance — and approached the DC — the DC ordered the insurance company to process the claim — based on the neighbouring village's yield data — Rs 45,000 was paid — with Rs 2,000 interest.

See PMFBY and Find PIO.