Skymet leverages Gramcover to Enroll 206 Non-loanee Farmers for Crop Insurance in Andhra Pradesh
Indian agriculture and weather vagaries go hand in hand. Changing weather patterns have left farmers in lurch as their investment capital is more than what they earn out of the yield. In such a situation, precise and accurate weather forecast is dependably a help for the rural sector division of the country that holds the most extreme ratio in the GDP of the Indian economy.
It also facilitates agricultural insurance through Government of India’s national flagship program - the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Availing PMFBY is complicated as farmers have to provide extensive documentation, pay a premium of 1.5% - 2% and must hold a functional bank account at the time of paying insurance premium.
Though the list seems to be small but it is tedious task for the farmers as most of them as they hail from that strata of the society which is not much educated.
Skymet is bridging the gap between farmers and insurance companies by conducting extensive pre-crop insurance awareness campaigns and disseminating information on crop wise premium, sum assured and last date of notification through SMSs. In Kharif 2018, Skymet has leveraged resources through GramCover, a specialized insurance brokerage firm which offers a digital platform for distribution and management of insurance policies.
Skymet piloted Gramcover's mobile app to enroll 206 farmers in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh for the cotton, chilies and maize crops. These 206 farmers, who have paid an insurance premium of INR 6,62,138 / USD 11,095, are by definition 'non-loanee farmers' i.e. those who have never taken a loan and therefore usually the poorest and most underserved farmers in India.
Usha Rani from Jagannadhapuram Village, district West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh is one of the many farmers who have been benefitted by this program. 38-year old Rani states that she had been struggling for last many months for insuring her crops. It was Skymet that had come to her rescue in helping her complete the documentation and getting insurance.
Rani cultivates Paddy crop in Kharif season and maize in Rabi season in 1.85 acre of land. In the last 2-3 days, she had been facing huge losses on account of untimely rains and conventional methods of farming.
She added that she has a family of four that includes two children. With financial losses running high, it was getting difficult for her and family to survive. However, Skymet team gave her a ray of hope when she was least expecting any miracle.
Ever after enrolling with the initiative, he has been able to take proper care of her crop fields as well as cattle. For instance, she now gets timely predictions about rain in his area through which she is able to postpone or prepone sowing of the crop.
Moreover, she now also gets information on the variety of crops that would help in increasing the crop yield. Apart from that, she is also benefitted about good quality of seeds and fertilizers that are pocket friendly and cost effective.