By IANS,
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh government has launched a crop insurance scheme in the state to protect crops from adverse climatic conditions, an official statement said Sunday.
“The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme will cover maize, paddy, potato and ginger crops on a pilot basis,” the statement said.
The Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd will insure the crops against lightning, storm, hailstorm, cyclone, typhoon, drought and pest attacks.
According the statement, the benefits of the scheme will be available to all farmers. The state government would pay 50 percent of the insurance premium of small and marginal farmers.
Last year the state government had launched an insurance scheme for apple growers on a pilot basis in Shimla and Kullu districts. The scheme is likely to be extended to other districts this year.
The economy of the state is highly dependent on agriculture and horticulture. However, about 81 percent of the total cultivated area in the state is rain-fed.