Chandrapur Farmers Face Higher Crop Insurance Premiums Amid Disparities Chandrapur farmers are reportedly paying significantly higher premiums for crop insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) compared to neighboring districts, prompting concerns over the financial burden on agricultural communities. Former minister and BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has raised the issue, urging Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane to intervene. He highlighted that the premium rates, notified on July 3, impose an unfair burden despite Chandrapur sharing similar climatic conditions, rainfall patterns, and agricultural practices with districts like Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Nagpur, and Wardha. Mungantiwar pointed out stark disparities in premium rates. For instance, paddy farmers in Chandrapur are required to pay Rs 1,300 per hectare, compared to Rs 512 in Gadchiroli, Rs 575 in Bhandara, Rs 60 in Gondia, and Rs 65 in Nagpur. Similarly, cotton growers in Chandrapur face a premium of Rs 1,300 per hectare, while farmers in Gadchiroli pay Rs 590, and those in Nagpur and Wardha pay Rs 65 each. Soyabean farmers in Chandrapur are charged Rs 1,250 per hectare, far exceeding the Rs 65 rate in Wardha. Mungantiwar emphasized that these higher premiums come at a time when farmers are already grappling with substantial costs for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, labor, and irrigation. He warned that the steep charges could deter farmers from enrolling in the PMFBY, leaving them vulnerable to losses from natural calamities such as floods, droughts, excessive rainfall, pest attacks, and crop diseases.#devendra_fadnavis #pradhan_mantri_fasal_bima_yojana #chandrapur #sudhir_mungantiwar #dattatray_bharane
