Jammu and Kashmir remains part of the national effort to stabilise farm incomes through the continued implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme, with increased participation and substantial claim payouts over the past five years.
Jammu and Kashmir is among 25 states and Union territories where the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, or PMFBY, and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme will be in force for the Kharif 2026 season, according to information tabled in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur. The government said the two insurance schemes are designed to cushion farmers against crop loss and remain part of a wider national effort to stabilise farm incomes. The scheme has already been extended across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, following a decision announced by the Union Territory administration in 2023.
Official figures presented to Parliament show that farmers in Jammu and Kashmir paid Rs 60.55 crore towards PMFBY premiums over the past five financial years, from 2021-22 to 2025-26. During the same period, claims worth Rs 182.57 crore were reported, of which Rs 172.40 crore had been settled. The government said the insurance schemes were active in Jammu and Kashmir alongside states including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
At the national level, farmers contributed Rs 18,351.69 crore in premiums during the five-year period, while reported claims totalled Rs 91,318.21 crore and paid claims stood at Rs 86,731.59 crore, according to the government reply. The Agriculture Insurance Company accounted for Rs 38,560.26 crore in claim payments nationwide, the data showed. The Centre also said some states had previously opted out of the scheme, but Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar have since moved back towards participation.
The continuation of PMFBY and the weather-based scheme until 2025-26 was approved with a total outlay of ₹69,515.71 crore for the 2021-22 to 2025-26 period, according to a Press Information Bureau release. The scheme, which was launched in 2016, is voluntary for both states and farmers and has been implemented in one or more seasons by 27 states and Union territories since its introduction. In Jammu and Kashmir, officials have repeatedly stressed the need to widen enrolment and improve awareness so that more eligible farmers can benefit from the cover.
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