The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a flagship scheme of the Government of India, will provide free crop insurance coverage to farmers in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the Rabi 2025–26 season. Implemented in the islands since 2016, the scheme protects farmers against losses from natural calamities and unforeseen events.
For the upcoming Rabi season, PMFBY will cover pulses, including Green Gram and Black Gram, and a range of vegetable crops. A cluster has been formed comprising South Andaman, North & Middle Andaman, and Nicobar (Campbell Bay area only), with an indemnity level set at 80% for all notified crops.
The scale of finance has been fixed at Rs. 59,433 per hectare for pulses. For vegetable crops, the scale is Rs. 1,88,468 per hectare for Tomato, Rs. 1,66,404 for Bhindi, Rs. 1,24,419 for Lobia, Rs. 1,72,742 for Brinjal, Rs. 2,46,047 for Cauliflower, and Rs. 1,47,825 for Watermelon. The sum insured for each crop will be calculated by multiplying the scale of finance by the area insured under the scheme.
In a major relief for farmers, 100% premium subsidy has been announced for both loanee and non-loanee farmers, effectively making PMFBY coverage free for the Rabi 2025–26 season. The scheme safeguards against prevented sowing, risks from sowing to harvest, post-harvest losses, mid-season adversities, and localized calamities.
All farmers, including sharecroppers and tenant farmers, cultivating the notified crops in notified areas are eligible to enroll. The enrollment deadline is January 15, 2026. Farmers can register through their banks or self-enroll via the National Crop Insurance Portal (pmfby.gov.in).
Any crop loss must be reported within 72 hours to the implementing agency, Kshema General Insurance Limited, the concerned bank, or the Agriculture Department. For further assistance, farmers may contact the Kisan Call Centre at 243434 or 18003451145.
Officials emphasized that this scheme will provide financial security to farmers in the islands and encourage sustainable agriculture practices. With free coverage, farmers can safeguard their livelihoods against unpredictable weather patterns and crop failures, while the government continues to strengthen agricultural resilience in remote regions of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
