'Review of crop insurance needed'

His plan is to make the policy individual farmer specific rather than area specific.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the minister said that at present compensation for policy holders had been decided on the basis of rainfall recorded in a hobli. “Even if a few villages of a hobli receive good rainfall farmers of other villages will lose compensation. Instead the policy should be helpful for each farmer depending on the yield he gets,” he said.

Giving an example, the minister said, if a farmer was expecting 40 tonnes of sugarcane in his one acre of land, he should get compensation if the yield in his farm was lesser. “I will hold meetings with representatives of insurance companies and discuss what would be the premium if such a model of insurance is introduced. Later the matter will be taken to the Cabinet”, he said.

The minister said that due to summer showers horticulture crops - mango, coconut, grapes, banana have been affected badly. The district administrations were assessing the total loss caused due to rains. Farmers would get compensation as per the guidelines set by the Centre.

He also said, “Production of mangoes is expected to come down by 30 per cent this year as Kolar and Chikkaballapur areas received rains during the flowering time (November and December).”