What is PMFBY and which department runs it?

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is the Government of India's flagship crop-insurance scheme, launched on 13 January 2016 and operationalised from Kharif 2016. It is administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, and replaced the earlier National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified NAIS. It covers yield losses on notified crops in notified areas against non-preventable natural risks across the whole cropping cycle.

How much premium does a farmer pay under PMFBY?

Farmer-share premium is capped by scheme guidelines: 2% of sum insured for Kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food and oilseed crops, and up to 5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops. The balance actuarial premium is shared between central and state governments; post Kharif 2020, the central subsidy is capped at 30% for unirrigated areas and 25% for irrigated areas, with any excess borne by the state. North-Eastern states have a higher central share (90:10).

Is PMFBY compulsory for loanee farmers?

No. The Kharif 2020 revamp made PMFBY entirely voluntary for both loanee and non-loanee farmers. Loanee farmers (those who have a seasonal crop loan or KCC for a notified crop) are auto-enrolled unless they submit a written opt-out declaration to the financing bank at least seven days before the state-notified cut-off date.

What is the enrolment cut-off date?

Each state notifies its own cut-off date for each season; 31 July is the common Kharif cut-off and 31 December the common Rabi cut-off for most major crops, but the exact date varies by state, crop and district and is the binding deadline. Notifications are published on pmfby.gov.in.

How are PMFBY claims calculated?

Standing-crop claims are area-yield based at the insurance unit. Threshold Yield (TY) = average of best five of past seven years × indemnity level (70/80/90%). Actual Yield (AY) is established through Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs), supplemented from Kharif 2023 by YES-TECH (remote sensing + smart-sampling CCEs). If AY < TY, ((TY − AY) ÷ TY) × Sum Insured × Area is paid to every enrolled farmer in that unit. Pre-sowing, post-harvest and localised-calamity claims follow separate rules notified in the operational guidelines.

Which risks are covered — and which are excluded?

Covered: prevented sowing due to widespread adverse seasonal events; standing-crop yield loss from drought, dry spells, flood, inundation, widespread pest and disease, landslide, natural fire, lightning, storm, hailstorm and cyclone; post-harvest losses for crops kept in cut-and-spread condition in the field for up to 14 days due to cyclones, cyclonic rains and unseasonal rains; and localised hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloudburst and natural fire on an individual-farm basis. Excluded: war and nuclear risks, malicious damage, theft, grazing by animals, and any preventable management failure.

When should claims be credited to my bank account?

Per the operational guidelines, the implementing insurance company must release admissible claims within two months of completion of CCE-based yield finalisation (standing-crop claims) or completion of the individual loss survey (localised / post-harvest claims). The Kharif 2020 revamp introduced a 12% per annum penalty payable by the insurance company directly to the farmer for delays beyond two months, and made central subsidy release conditional on the state paying its share.

How do I check application status and raise a grievance?

Open pmfby.gov.in → Farmer Corner → Application Status / Know Your Policy, enter the application reference or mobile number to see policy and claim status. Grievances: toll-free 14447 (Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline, launched 24 February 2024), the Crop Insurance Mobile App, the implementing insurance company district office, and the District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) chaired by the District Collector.

PMFBY Guide — Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: Premium, Cut-off Dates, CCEs, Claims & Grievance Redressal

Q: Which risks are covered — and which are excluded?

Covered: prevented sowing due to widespread adverse seasonal events; standing-crop yield loss from drought, dry spells, flood, inundation, widespread pest and disease, landslide, natural fire, lightning, storm, hailstorm and cyclone; post-harvest losses for crops kept in cut-and-spread condition in the field for up to 14 days due to cyclones, cyclonic rains and unseasonal rains; and localised hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloudburst and natural fire on an individual-farm basis. Excluded: war and nuclear risks, malicious damage, theft, grazing by animals, and any preventable management failure.

Q: How and within how many hours must a localised-calamity loss be reported?

Every affected farmer must intimate the loss within 72 hours of the event, through the Crop Insurance Mobile App, pmfby.gov.in, the Krishi Rakshak Helpline 14447, the implementing insurance company's call centre, the financing bank or the local agriculture / revenue officer. The insurance company has 48 hours to depute a loss assessor for individual-farm survey.

Q: When should claims be credited to my bank account?

Per the operational guidelines, the implementing insurance company must release admissible claims within two months of completion of CCE-based yield finalisation (standing-crop claims) or completion of the individual loss survey (localised / post-harvest claims). The Kharif 2020 revamp introduced a 12% per annum penalty payable by the insurance company directly to the farmer for delays beyond two months, and made central subsidy release conditional on the state paying its share.

Q: How do I check application status and raise a grievance?

Open pmfby.gov.in → Farmer Corner → Application Status / Know Your Policy, enter the application reference or mobile number to see policy and claim status. Grievances: toll-free 14447 (Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline, launched 24 February 2024), the Crop Insurance Mobile App, the implementing insurance company district office, and the District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) chaired by the District Collector.

PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana)is the Government of India's flagship crop-insurance scheme, launched on 13 January 2016 and operationalised from Kharif 2016. It replaced the earlier NAIS and Modified NAIS, and pays compensation to farmers cultivating notified crops in notified areas when yield losses occur due to non-preventable natural risks. This guide covers eligibility, the capped farmer premium, the enrolment cycle and cut-off dates, what risks are covered and excluded, how Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) and YES-TECH drive claim calculation, the 72-hour intimation rule for localised perils, and where to raise a grievance. For the wider portfolio see our India government schemes for farmers reference and the PM-KISAN deep-dive guide.

At a glance

Scheme type: centrally-sponsored, area-yield based crop insurance with add-ons for prevented sowing, post-harvest and localised perils.
Launched: 13 January 2016 by DA&FW; operational from Kharif 2016. Revamped with effect from Kharif 2020 (voluntary; central subsidy capped at 25/30%).
Implementing agencies: empanelled general-insurance companies (public-sector and private) selected by each state through cluster-wise bidding for each season under the operational guidelines on pmfby.gov.in.
Insurance Unit: village / village-panchayat for major crops; revenue circle / hobli / mandal for others, as notified by the state.
Portals: pmfby.gov.in (National Crop Insurance Portal), the Crop Insurance Mobile App, and the Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH) launched on 24 February 2024 — toll-free 14447.

Eligibility

PMFBY is open to all farmers — owner-cultivators, tenants, sharecroppers and oral lessees — growing the notified crop in a notified area for that season. Participation is voluntary for both loanee and non-loanee farmers since Kharif 2020. Loanee farmers (those with a seasonal crop loan or Kisan Credit Card limit for a notified crop — see our KCC deep-dive guide) are auto-enrolled by the financing bank unless they submit a written opt-out at least seven days before the cut-off. Non-loanee farmers can enrol at a bank branch, CSC, authorised insurance-company office or online via pmfby.gov.in / the Crop Insurance Mobile App. Tenant farmers and sharecroppers enrol on producing valid land documents — a registered tenancy agreement, NOC from the landowner, or the state-specific lease / cultivation document recognised under the season notification.

Farmer premium — what you pay

Kharif food and oilseed crops: 2% of sum insured.
Rabi food and oilseed crops: 1.5% of sum insured.
Annual commercial and horticultural crops: up to 5% of sum insured.

The balance actuarial premium is shared between the central and state governments. From the Kharif 2020 revamp, the central subsidy is capped at 30% for unirrigated and 25% for irrigated areas and crops; rates above these caps are fully borne by the state. North-Eastern states retain a higher 90:10 central share to incentivise area expansion. The sum insured equals the Scale of Finance notified for the crop by the District Level Technical Committee — broadly the cost of cultivation per hectare. Under-insurance below the notified sum is not allowed.

Enrolment cycle, cut-off dates and documents

Each state issues a season notification listing notified crops, insurance units, the implementing insurance company per cluster, the cut-off date and the indemnity level (70%, 80% or 90%) for each crop. As a broad indicator, 31 July is the common Kharif cut-off and 31 December the common Rabi cut-off — but the binding date is the state notification on pmfby.gov.in. Documents required: Aadhaar (mandatory); savings bank account with IFSC, Aadhaar-linked through the NPCI / DBT mapper; land record (khasra / khatauni / survey number or state-specific document — Bhulekh, Mahabhulekh, Dharani); a sowing self-declaration (plus state-prescribed proofs such as a seed bill or patwari sowing certificate); and for tenants / sharecroppers, the state-recognised lease, tenancy agreement or NOC. Time the sowing window using our India crop calendar alongside the state notification — enrolment of a non-notified crop is a frequent claim-rejection reason.

Risks covered — and excluded

The cover has four distinct components:

Prevented sowing / planting / germination. Sum insured up to 25% of the area-based sum insured if widespread adverse seasonal events prevent sowing on the insured area. Notified-area basis.
Standing-crop losses. Yield-loss compensation for drought, dry spells, flood, inundation, widespread pest and disease, landslide, natural fire, lightning, storm, hailstorm and cyclone. Assessed against the Threshold Yield derived from CCEs at the insurance unit.
Post-harvest losses. Cover for crops kept in cut-and-spread condition in the field for drying for up to 14 days from harvesting, against cyclones, cyclonic rains and unseasonal rains. Individual-farm basis with 72-hour intimation.
Localised calamities. Individual-farm cover for hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloudburst and natural fire. 72-hour intimation; the insurance company sends a loss assessor.

Not covered: war and nuclear risks, malicious damage, theft or enmity, grazing or destruction by domestic / wild animals, harvested crop bundled in heaps and stacks (beyond the 14-day cut-and-spread window), and any preventable management failure or negligence.

How standing-crop claims are calculated

Threshold Yield (TY) = average yield of best five of the past seven years (excluding two notified calamity years) × indemnity level (70%, 80% or 90%) declared by the state.
Actual Yield (AY) for the insurance unit is estimated from Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) by the state agriculture department, supplemented from Kharif 2023 by YES-TECH (Yield Estimation Survey based on Technology — remote sensing + smart-sampling CCEs). YES-TECH and the Digi-Claim settlement workflow consume plot-level sowing data from the AgriStack Crop Sown Registry under the Digital Agriculture Mission.
If AY < TY: compensation = ((TY − AY) ÷ TY) × Sum Insured per hectare × Area Insured. Paid to every enrolled farmer in that unit, irrespective of whether their individual field suffered loss.
Prevented sowing claims (25% of sum insured) are triggered when more than 75% of the area in the notified unit cannot be sown — notified-area basis.
Post-harvest and localised-calamity claims are paid on individual loss assessment by the insurance company's assessor following the 72-hour intimation.

Intimating a loss — the 72-hour rule

For localised perils and post-harvest losses, the affected farmer must intimate within 72 hoursthrough any of: the Crop Insurance Mobile App, pmfby.gov.in ("Report Crop Loss"), the KRPH toll-free 14447, the implementing insurance company's call centre / district office (printed on the policy certificate), or the financing bank / local agriculture / revenue officer as a fallback. The insurance company has 48 hours from intimation to depute a loss assessor for individual-farm survey; the assessment report is the basis for claim release.

Claim release timelines

The insurance company must release admissible claims within two months of CCE-based yield finalisation (standing-crop) or of the individual loss survey (localised / post-harvest), subject to the state and central governments having released their share of premium subsidy. Delays beyond two months attract a 12% per annum penalty payable by the insurance company directly to the farmer — introduced under the Kharif 2020 revamp, which also made central subsidy release conditional on the state having paid its share.

Common reasons claims are held back

Enrolled after the cut-off date — applications past the state-notified deadline are inadmissible.
Wrong crop / area declared — application data does not match revenue records or CCE crop classification.
Aadhaar–bank seeding mismatch — DBT credit fails even after claim approval.
Loss not intimated within 72 hours for localised perils or post-harvest losses.
CCE data shortfall in the insurance unit; under post-2023 YES-TECH rules technology-aided yield substitutes, with contested cases routed to the DLMC.
Premium not credited in time by the financing bank — the auto-enrolled application is treated as invalid.

Grievance redressal

Toll-free 14447 — Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH), single-window grievance channel launched 24 February 2024.
Online: pmfby.gov.in → Grievance — submit and track by ticket number.
Insurance company district office — printed on the policy certificate; first-level resolution.
District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) chaired by the District Collector — second-level resolution for cluster-wide disputes.
State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurance (SLCCCI) — apex state forum notifying crops, areas, indemnity levels and resolving systemic issues.

Related farmer-welfare programmes

Combine the PMFBY safety net with the ₹6,000/year cash transfer under PM-KISAN to fund the farmer-share premium. A Kisan Credit Card seasonal loan auto-pays the PMFBY premium for loanee farmers unless opted out. For horticulture and short-duration crops where weather variability drives most of the loss, the parallel RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme) pays out automatically from reference-weather-station data — most states notify each crop under either PMFBY or RWBCIS depending on loss profile. Pair the risk cover with input efficiency from a Soil Health Card recommendation and the PMKSY Per Drop More Crop micro-irrigation subsidy. At harvest, use e-NAM for assayed online price discovery, and downstream value-addition by formalising a micro food processing unit under PMFME (PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises). Browse our knowledge base for crop-specific pest and disease advisories.

References

pmfby.gov.in — National Crop Insurance Portal: enrolment, season notifications, application status, loss intimation, grievance.
Crop Insurance Mobile App — official Android app on Google Play; loss intimation, application tracking, premium calculator.
Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH) — 14447 — single-window helpline launched 24 February 2024.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare — operational guidelines (notably Revised Operational Guidelines, 2018 and the Kharif 2020 revamp) and circulars.
Press Information Bureau (PIB) — Cabinet approvals, Kharif 2020 revamp and KRPH launch press releases.

Frequently asked questions

What is PMFBY and which department runs it?: Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is the Government of India's flagship crop-insurance scheme, launched on 13 January 2016 and operationalised from Kharif 2016. It is administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, and replaced the earlier National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified NAIS. It covers yield losses on notified crops in notified areas against non-preventable natural risks across the whole cropping cycle.
How much premium does a farmer pay under PMFBY?: Farmer-share premium is capped by scheme guidelines: 2% of sum insured for Kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food and oilseed crops, and up to 5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops. The balance actuarial premium is shared between central and state governments; post Kharif 2020, the central subsidy is capped at 30% for unirrigated areas and 25% for irrigated areas, with any excess borne by the state. North-Eastern states have a higher central share (90:10).
Is PMFBY compulsory for loanee farmers?: No. The Kharif 2020 revamp made PMFBY entirely voluntary for both loanee and non-loanee farmers. Loanee farmers (those who have a seasonal crop loan or KCC for a notified crop) are auto-enrolled unless they submit a written opt-out declaration to the financing bank at least seven days before the state-notified cut-off date.
What is the enrolment cut-off date?: Each state notifies its own cut-off date for each season; 31 July is the common Kharif cut-off and 31 December the common Rabi cut-off for most major crops, but the exact date varies by state, crop and district and is the binding deadline. Notifications are published on pmfby.gov.in.
How are PMFBY claims calculated?: Standing-crop claims are area-yield based at the insurance unit. Threshold Yield (TY) = average of best five of past seven years × indemnity level (70/80/90%). Actual Yield (AY) is established through Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs), supplemented from Kharif 2023 by YES-TECH (remote sensing + smart-sampling CCEs). If AY < TY, ((TY − AY) ÷ TY) × Sum Insured × Area is paid to every enrolled farmer in that unit. Pre-sowing, post-harvest and localised-calamity claims follow separate rules notified in the operational guidelines.
Which risks are covered — and which are excluded?: Covered: prevented sowing due to widespread adverse seasonal events; standing-crop yield loss from drought, dry spells, flood, inundation, widespread pest and disease, landslide, natural fire, lightning, storm, hailstorm and cyclone; post-harvest losses for crops kept in cut-and-spread condition in the field for up to 14 days due to cyclones, cyclonic rains and unseasonal rains; and localised hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloudburst and natural fire on an individual-farm basis. Excluded: war and nuclear risks, malicious damage, theft, grazing by animals, and any preventable management failure.
How and within how many hours must a localised-calamity loss be reported?: Every affected farmer must intimate the loss within 72 hours of the event, through the Crop Insurance Mobile App, pmfby.gov.in, the Krishi Rakshak Helpline 14447, the implementing insurance company's call centre, the financing bank or the local agriculture / revenue officer. The insurance company has 48 hours to depute a loss assessor for individual-farm survey.
When should claims be credited to my bank account?: Per the operational guidelines, the implementing insurance company must release admissible claims within two months of completion of CCE-based yield finalisation (standing-crop claims) or completion of the individual loss survey (localised / post-harvest claims). The Kharif 2020 revamp introduced a 12% per annum penalty payable by the insurance company directly to the farmer for delays beyond two months, and made central subsidy release conditional on the state paying its share.
How do I check application status and raise a grievance?: Open pmfby.gov.in → Farmer Corner → Application Status / Know Your Policy, enter the application reference or mobile number to see policy and claim status. Grievances: toll-free 14447 (Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline, launched 24 February 2024), the Crop Insurance Mobile App, the implementing insurance company district office, and the District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) chaired by the District Collector.

Premium rates, indemnity bands, claim timelines and grievance contacts above summarise publicly available guidelines on pmfby.gov.in and DA&FW operational guidelines. Season notifications, cut-off dates and crop notifications are revised every season; farmers should verify current terms in their state's PMFBY season notification or with the nearest financing bank, CSC or implementing insurance-company district office before enrolling or raising a claim.