Why Despite Climate Risks, J&K’s Orchard Farmers Still Excluded from PMFBY
Despite the intensifying frequency of extreme weather events, Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector — the backbone of its rural economy — remains outside the ambit of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), India’s flagship crop insurance programme. As a result, thousands of fruit growers, especially in South Kashmir, face staggering financial losses after every natural calamity, with little to no institutional risk cover.
June’s Hailstorm: A Climate Alarm with No Safety Net
On June 2, an unusually intense hailstorm struck more than a dozen orchard-dense villages across South Kashmir. In Zainapora block of Shopian — a key apple-growing belt — hailstones the size of chickpeas battered orchards for nearly half an hour, shredding early fruit and snapping tender branches.
Compensation Without Coverage: The SDRF’s Limitations
Following the storm, officials from the Revenue and Horticulture Departments assessed the damage and initiated relief under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). However, the compensation was deeply inadequate — a mere ₹2,900 in Gani’s case. Others reported receiving between ₹850 to ₹1,000 per kanal. For context, the input cost alone for apple farming exceeds ₹50,000 per kanal annually, excluding long-term investments like tree management and irrigation.
In districts like Shopian, where nearly 85% of households depend on horticulture, these token reliefs offer no resilience.
PMFBY: Still a Distant Promise for Kashmir’s Orchardists
Launched in 2016, PMFBY aims to provide comprehensive insurance for both yield and weather-related risks. Yet, nearly a decade later, the scheme remains non-operational for horticultural crops in Jammu and Kashmir. While cereal and oilseed farmers in some districts receive coverage under limited pilot projects, fruit growers, who produce over 2 million metric tonnes of apples annually, are still excluded.
Multiple rounds of tenders for implementing PMFBY or the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) in the region have received poor insurer participation. Key reasons cited include:
- High agro-climatic risk due to terrain and unpredictable weather
- Inadequate infrastructure for yield estimation and claims verification
- Sparse digitization of land records
- Uncertainty after the revocation of Article 370 and the shift to Union Territory governance
Mountain Agriculture Needs a New Insurance Framework
Kashmir’s fruit economy, especially apples, which contribute nearly ₹8,000 crore annually, is among the most climate-sensitive in India. Unlike seasonal crops, orchards are multi-year assets. A single hailstorm or frost spell can devastate trees, affect successive yields, and compromise long-term viability.
From a climate risk management standpoint, traditional insurance models fall short in high-altitude, fragmented farming systems. Instead, the future lies in:
- Weather Index Insurance: Triggered by rainfall, hail, frost, or temperature thresholds
- Remote sensing & UAV-based damage assessment
- Cadastral-level risk zoning and actuarial pricing
- Farmer trust-building through real-time alerts and transparent claim settlements
India has the technical capabilities, including satellite monitoring and AI-based modelling, to enable this shift. What’s needed is the political will and institutional innovation to implement it in fragile agro-ecosystems like Kashmir.
Conclusion: From Disaster Relief to Pre-Disaster Resilience
The June 2 hailstorm is not an isolated event. It is symptomatic of a climate regime shift, marked by erratic hail, late frosts, cloudbursts, and unseasonal snowfall. Without structured risk transfer mechanisms, farmers are left to absorb repeated shocks, leading to debt, mental health stress, and livelihood insecurity.
It is time to mainstream crop insurance into Kashmir’s horticulture policy. Piecemeal relief won't suffice in the age of climate volatility. A data-driven, region-specific insurance model, co-designed with farmer bodies, insurers, and agri-tech players, is the only sustainable path forward.
