PM Fasal Bima Yojana 2026 — Crop Insurance Apply, Premium & Claim Process
PMFBY 2026: Crop insurance at 1.5–5% premium with up to ₹2 lakh per hectare cover. Apply at your bank, CSC, or pmfby.gov.in. Eligibility, claim window, loss-intimation steps.
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Quick summary. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a central crop-insurance scheme. Farmers pay only 2% premium for Kharif food crops, 1.5% for Rabi food/oilseeds, 5% for commercial/horticulture crops — the rest is shared by central and state governments. Cover protects against prevented sowing, mid-season adversity, post-harvest losses, and localised calamities. Apply mode: through your loanee bank (auto-enrolled with KCC), at any CSC, or online at pmfby.gov.in. Apply window: before the cut-off date for the season (typically 31 July for Kharif, 31 December for Rabi).
PMFBY, launched in 2016, is implemented in two seasons every year — Kharif (June–October) and Rabi (October–March). The scheme replaced earlier crop-insurance products with simpler premium rates and claim settlement through Crop Cutting Experiments (CCE) and satellite-based yield estimation. As of FY 2025–26, 6.7 crore farmer applications have been insured, with ₹1.85 lakh crore in claims paid since inception.
The most important rule for farmers to remember: PMFBY is voluntary for non-loanee farmers, and 100% voluntary across the board (since the 2020 reforms). Even if you have a Kisan Credit Card, you can opt out by submitting a written declaration to the bank 7 days before the season’s cut-off date.
Scheme at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) |
| Ministry | Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare |
| Premium — Kharif food crops | 2% of sum insured |
| Premium — Rabi food/oilseeds | 1.5% of sum insured |
| Premium — Commercial/horticulture | 5% of sum insured |
| Sum insured | Scale of finance / district per-hectare cost (typically ₹40,000–₹2,00,000 per hectare) |
| Application cut-off | Kharif: 31 July; Rabi: 31 December (state-notified) |
| Claim window after loss | 72 hours via loss-intimation toll-free / app |
| Apply mode | Bank (loanee) / CSC / pmfby.gov.in (non-loanee) |
Who is eligible?
Educational Qualification
Not applicable
Age Limit (As on Date of enrolment)
18 to 120 Years
Other Requirements
- Nationality: Indian citizen, cultivating notified crops in notified districts
- All farmers — owner-cultivators, tenant farmers, share-croppers — growing notified crops in notified areas are eligible
- Tenant farmers must produce a written tenancy agreement / sworn declaration before the bank / CSC
- Crop must be one of the notified crops for the season in your district (state government notifies before each season)
- Both individual farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) can enrol
- Loanee farmers (with KCC) are auto-enrolled unless they submit a written opt-out 7 days before cut-off
What does PMFBY cover?
| Risk stage | What is covered |
|---|---|
| Prevented sowing | If you couldn’t sow due to deficit rainfall / adverse weather — 25% of sum insured |
| Standing crop (sowing to harvest) | Drought, flood, pest attack, disease, hailstorm, cyclone, fire, lightning |
| Post-harvest losses | Up to 14 days after harvest if crop is left in cut-and-spread condition (cyclone, unseasonal rain, hailstorm) |
| Localised calamities | Hailstorm, landslide, inundation — assessed at the individual farm level (not block level) |
| Not covered | Losses from war, nuclear risk, malicious damage, theft, animal grazing, neglect |
Premium examples
| Crop | Sum insured per hectare | Farmer’s share (premium) | Cover the farmer pays out of pocket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddy (Kharif) | ₹80,000 | 2% | ₹1,600/ha |
| Wheat (Rabi) | ₹70,000 | 1.5% | ₹1,050/ha |
| Cotton (Kharif commercial) | ₹1,20,000 | 5% | ₹6,000/ha |
| Onion (horticulture) | ₹1,50,000 | 5% | ₹7,500/ha |
| Soybean (Kharif oilseed) | ₹50,000 | 2% | ₹1,000/ha |
The rest of the actuarial premium (often 15–25% of sum insured) is paid by the central and state governments in equal share.
Documents required
While filling online form
- Aadhaar card (mandatory for all enrolments since 2020)
- Land record — Khasra / Khatauni / RoR with current owner / cultivator name
- Sowing certificate (for non-loanee farmers, before the cut-off date)
- Bank account passbook (Aadhaar-linked)
- Tenancy / share-cropping agreement (for tenant farmers)
- Mobile number for OTP and loss-intimation
How to apply
Method 1 — Loanee farmers (KCC holders)
Auto-enrolled by the bank when you take or renew a Kisan Credit Card. The premium is debited from the loan account. To opt out, submit a written declaration at the bank branch 7 days before the season’s cut-off date — failing which, the bank will deduct premium.
Method 2 — Non-loanee farmers (online)
- Visit pmfby.gov.in → Farmer corner → Apply for crop insurance.
- Aadhaar + mobile OTP login → choose state, district, crop, area sown (in hectares).
- The portal auto-calculates the premium. Pay online via UPI / net-banking.
- Receive the policy certificate by SMS + email within 24 hours.
Method 3 — Through CSC
Visit any Common Service Centre with the documents listed above; the VLE enrols you on the same portal and gives you a policy printout.
⏰ Last Date: Kharif: 31 July 2026 · Rabi: 31 December 2026 (state-notified)
Apply on PMFBY portalClicking this button will take you to the official government portal.
How to claim
Step 1 — Intimate the loss within 72 hours
For localised calamities (hailstorm, landslide, inundation) and post-harvest losses, you must intimate within 72 hours of the event:
- Toll-free: 14447
- Crop Insurance App (Android) — capture geo-tagged photographs of the damaged crop
- Bank branch / Insurance company in writing
- State agriculture officer / Lekhpal
Step 2 — Joint inspection
Within 7 days of intimation, the insurance company surveyor + state agriculture officer + farmer jointly inspect the field. Photographs and a damage assessment report are filed.
Step 3 — Claim calculation
For wide-area losses (drought / unseasonal rain across the block), claims are based on Crop Cutting Experiments (CCE) and satellite-based yield estimation. If the actual yield falls below the Threshold Yield (70% of long-term average), claims are paid to all farmers in the block.
Step 4 — Disbursal
Claim amount is credited directly to the farmer’s Aadhaar-linked bank account via DBT within 45 days of yield-data publication.
Frequently asked questions
1. Is PMFBY mandatory for KCC holders?
2. What is the maximum sum insured?
3. Can tenant farmers and share-croppers apply?
4. What is the timeline for claim payment?
5. How do I report crop damage?
6. What if I sow a different crop than declared?
7. Are horticulture crops covered?
8. What is the premium for organic farming?
Latest updates
The 2026 budget allocated ₹16,250 crore to PMFBY. Two reforms took effect from Kharif 2026: (1) YES-Tech (technology-based yield estimation) is now used in 100 districts, replacing the slower CCE process — claims in these districts are paid within 30 days of harvest. (2) WINDS (Weather Information Network Data System) automatic weather stations have been deployed at the Gram Panchayat level for parametric crop insurance, where claims are auto-triggered by rainfall data without surveyor visits.
Official links
Disclaimer. SarkariBaba is an independent information publisher. Cut-off dates, sum-insured per hectare, and notified crops vary by state — always verify on the state seasonal notification before enrolling.
