The Krishi Udan scheme provides air transportation and logistics support for perishable agri-produce and 58 airports have been covered under Krishi Udan 2.0 till now, according to the information given by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Dr) V K Singh in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

 

Krishi Udan Scheme 2.0 was announced on 27 October 2021 enhancing the existing provisions, mainly focusing on transporting perishable food products from the hilly areas, North-Eastern States and tribal areas. For facilitating and incentivising the movement of agri-produce by air transportation, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) provides a full waiver of Landing, Parking charges, Terminal Navigational Landing Charges (TNLC) and Route Navigation Facility Charges (RNFC) for Indian freighters and P2C (Passenger-to-Cargo) Aircraft primarily around 25 airports focusing on North Eastern, Hilly and Tribal region and 28 airports in other regions and areas. Further, after evaluation of Krishi Udan 2.0, five more airports have been included, making it 58 airports.

 

Krishi Udan Scheme is a convergence scheme where eight Ministries and Departments namely the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) would leverage their existing schemes to strengthen the logistics for transportation of Agri-produce.

 

Currently, Prayagraj airport is included under Krishi Udan Scheme 2.0. All perishable commodities are covered under Krishi Udan Scheme in the country. The scheme assists farmers in transporting agricultural products so that it improves their value realisation. Krishi Udan scheme provides air transportation and logistics support for perishable agri-produce as per the need. 

Several activities to boost the Infrastructure have been taken up by the concerned Ministries and Departments of the Central Government in the North Eastern Region (NER). These relate to improving air connectivity, rail connectivity, road connectivity, waterway connectivity, power connectivity and telecom connectivity in the NER. These inter-alia  include:

 

Air connectivity: Total 28 projects have been completed from 2016-17 to 2021-22 with the approved cost of Rs.975.58 crore and completion cost of Rs.979.07 crore. There are 15 ongoing projects with sanctioned amount of Rs. 2,212.30 crore.

 

 

Rail connectivity: As on 01.04.2022, Ministry of Railways has sanctioned 19 projects costing Rs.77,930 crore for 1,909 km length falling fully/ partly in North Eastern Region including those sanctioned since 2014,which are at various stages of implementation, out of which 409 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.30,312 crore incurred upto March, 2022. These include (i)14 New Line Projects covering a length of 1,181 km at a cost of Rs. 61,520 crore, out of which 361 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs. 27,458 crore incurred upto March, 2022; and (ii) 5 Doubling/ Multitracking Projects covering a length of 728 km at a cost of Rs. 16,410 crore, out of which 48 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs. 2,854 crore incurred upto March, 2022.

Road connectivity: A total of 4016.48 km length projects costing Rs. 58,385 crore are ongoing in NER. These projects were undertaken during the last 5 years. The completed projects in NER cover a length of 3099.50 km at a cost of Rs. 15,570.44 crore. The ongoing projects are likely to be completed by May 2024. The major ongoing Capital Road Connectivity projects in NER include the 4 Laning of Dimapur- Kohima Road (62.9 km) in Nagaland; 4 laning of Nagaon bypass to Holongi (167 km) in Arunachal Pradesh; Alternate two-lane Highway from Bagrakote to Pakyong (NH-717A) (152 km) in Sikkim; 2 laning of Aizawl – Tuipang NH-54 (351 km) in Mizoram; and 4 laning of Imphal –Moreh section of NH-39 (20 km) and 2-laning of 75.4 km in Manipur.

Waterway connectivity: River Brahmaputra from Dhubri (Bangladesh Border) to Sadiya (891 km) was declared as National Waterway-2 (NW-2) in 1988. The waterway is being developed with fairway of required depth and width, day and night navigation aids and terminals. The facilities created and planned would cost Rs. 461 crore during 5 years (2020-2025). River Barak was declared as National Waterway-16 (NW -16) in the year 2016. It connects Silchar, Karimganj and Badarpur in Cachar valley of Assam with Haldia and Kolkata ports through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route. The facilities created and planned would cost Rs.145 crore during 5 years (2020-2025).

 

 

Power connectivity: Ministry of Power has also undertaken power generation (hydro/thermal) projects since 2014 in the North Eastern States. Further, the transmission and distribution network has also been strengthened in these North Eastern States. 03 Hydro Electric Projects (above 25 MW) totaling to 740 MW have been undertaken in the North Eastern States. A Gas based Power Project in the State of Assam viz. Lakhwa Replacement Power Project of 69.755 MW capacity (7 x 9.965 MW) by M/s Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd. was commissioned on 14.02.2018. Further, Government of India has launched various schemes to enable States including North Eastern States to strengthen their power distribution systems by providing funding for creation/augmentation of sub-transmission & distribution infrastructure along with metering and IT enablement of distribution infrastructures etc. For strengthening of transmission network in the North-Eastern Region, Inter-State Transmission projects have been undertaken, which include new transmission lines, extension/ upgradation of existing substations, augmentation of transformation capacity, reconductoring of transmission lines etc. Further, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL) is executing two major Intra State power transmission and distribution schemes viz. (i) North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) for Six States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland) for strengthening of the Intra-State Transmission and Distribution Systems (33kV and above) sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.6,700 crore; and (ii) Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission and Distribution System in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.9,129.32 crore.

Telecom connectivity: Department of Telecommunications has also undertaken several projects in the North Eastern States for strengthening telecom connectivity in the region, which, inter alia, include (i) Mobile Services in uncovered villages in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh (National Highways only) and seamless coverage along National Highway; (ii) Mobile connectivity in Meghalaya and along National Highways on 4G Technology; (iii) Mobile connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh and 2 Districts of Assam; (iv) Bharat Net and Wi-Fi Connectivity for Village Panchayats in North Eastern Region; and (v) Hiring of 10 Gbps International Bandwidth for Internet Connectivity to Agartala from BSCCL, Bangladesh via Cox Bazar. In the North Eastern States, 1,358 towers covering 1,246 villages have been installed and providing services.

In addition, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is implementing various schemes/packages viz. North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Scheme, Special Packages of Assam [Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC) and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC)], Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Social and Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF), Schemes of NEC (North Eastern Council) and North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS), for the development of North Eastern Region. Under these developmental schemes/ packages, 1001 projects worth Rs.10,876.63 crore, including connectivity projects, have been sanctioned during the financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22. The year-wise details of the projects sanctioned are as under:

 

S.No.	Financial Year	Projects sanctioned under schemes of MDoNER and NEC (Rs.incrore)
		No.	Cost
Source:  pib.gov.in
05 Aug, 2022 Algeria buys around 660,000 T of wheat in tender, traders say. Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC is believed to have bought around 660,000 tonnes of optional-origin milling wheat in an import tender on Tuesday, European traders said.   OAIC was thought to have paid about $384 a tonne, cost and freight included, for the entire volume, in line with the price cited earlier by traders in initial assessments.   The tender was understood to be finished, but further assessments of prices and volume were still possible, traders said.   Algeria, one of the world’s largest wheat importers, does not release details of its tenders and reported results reflect trade estimates.   Tuesday’s tender requested shipment from main supply regions, including Europe, in the following periods: Sept. 21-30, Oct. 1-15 and Oct. 16-31. If sourced from South America or Australia, shipment is one month earlier.   A rebound in Euronext wheat futures BL2c1 in late trading on Tuesday suggested that exporters had hedged initial sales in the tender and were planning to source the wheat from France or elsewhere in the European Union, traders added. GRA/EU   In its previous milling wheat tender at the end of June, OAIC was estimated to have booked about 740,000 tonnes at $445 a tonne c&f.   Other wheat importers have issued tenders this week, encouraged by an easing in international prices partly linked to the resumption of grain exports from Odesa port under an agreement to allow sea trade from war-torn Ukraine.  Source:  hellenicshippingnews.com
05 Aug, 2022 Kerala agri varsity s efforts to grow onions in Idukki district s Kanthalloor yield results. The efforts of Kerala Agricultural University to cultivate onions in the rain-shadow region of Kanthaloor –famous for cool season fruits and vegetables – have started yielding results. Kanthalloor, nestled in the Western Ghats, is in Devikulam taluk of Kerala’s Idukki district.   Some 82-90 days after sowing, over 95 per cent of plants showed good bulb formation. The average bulb weight was 60-100 grams with an average yield of 22 tonnes a hectare. Kanthaloor is a hub for tropical, sub-tropical and temperate crops such as hill garlic, hairloom beans and even commercial strawberry.   Considering the demand of farmers and other extension officers from the region, KAU initiated research three years ago for assessing the potential of cultivating onions on a commercial scale in Kanthalloor hills. But the challenge was to identify the ideal cropping season and production practices to raise the crop economically at a high altitude of 1,000-1,500m above MSL(mean sea level).   12 varieties evaluated After three years of jointly working with farmers, researchers pinpointed the February-July period as the ideal season for onion cultivation in Kanthaloor dry hills. Farmers from four locations— Keezhanthoor, Vettukad, Kanthaloor and upper Perumala—participated in the evaluation trials of 12 varieties.   The crop was initially grown by supplying seedlings raised in plains to acquaint farmers about the growth of the plant, its management, bulbing and primary post-harvest handling.  After two years of constant support, farmers began to raise the seeds on their own in the open field during mid- February, transplant seedlings in mid-April and harvest them by middle of July.   The harvest festival at Kanthalloor and Keezhanthoor was inaugurated by Grama Panchayath president PT Mohandas.   According to farmers, the crop is easy to manage and requires only four or five irrigations as they are receiving intermittent rains. The big bulbs of white onion were a special attraction and were also produced good yield. Kanthalloor farmers are now actively considering big onions as an additional option in their basket of choices.  Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
05 Aug, 2022 1st Session of India-Mauritius High-Powered Joint Trade Committee, under the India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement, successfully held. India and Mauritius held the 1st session of India-Mauritius High-Powered Joint Trade Committee on 01-03 August 2022 in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Srikar K Reddy, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India, Government of India, and Mr. Narainduth Boodhoo, Director, Trade Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Government of Mauritius. Senior officials representing relevant Government authorities from both the countries took part in the meeting.   The High-Powered Joint Trade Committee had been constituted as per the mandate of the India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership agreement (CECPA), to review the general functioning and implementation of the India-Mauritius CECPA which entered into force on 1st April, 2021. CECPA is the first trade Agreement signed by India with a country in Africa.   Both sides noted that the traditionally close, strong economic ties between the two countries touched a new high with the signing of the landmark CECPA. Appreciating the growth of the bilateral merchandise trade between India and Mauritius, which rose to USD 786.72 million in 2021-22 from USD 690.02 million in 2019-20, both sides agreed to enhance bilateral collaboration to further increase bilateral trade and realize the true potential of the bilateral relationship especially under the CECPA.   Both sides agreed to the inclusion of the General Economic Cooperation (GEC) Chapter and Automatic Trigger Safeguard Mechanism (ATSM) in CECPA. The GEC chapter will enable enhancement of export competitiveness and enlarging the existing scope for collaboration, inter-alia, in the fields of Investments, Financial Services, Textile, Small and Medium Enterprises, Handicrafts, Gems and Jewellery, Information and Communication Technology, Film Production, Space Technology, Blue Economy, Port Infrastructure, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Bio-technology, Competition Policy, Renewable Energy etc.   Extensive interactions were held between both the sides in Services sector with regard to establishing equivalence in certification, skills and licensing requirements of various professional bodies and exploring collaboration/ cooperation arrangement between Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and its counterpart in Mauritius on developing skill-sets. Mauritian side, while conveying the shortage of professionals in Mauritius in various sectors such as ICT, Financial Services, Film production, Engineering, Health, Tourism/Hospitality and Ocean Economy etc., welcomed movement of high skilled professionals from India to Mauritius.   Both the sides expressed willingness to enter into a Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMMA) and agreed to initiate discussions on the Agreement soon.   Affirming mutual keenness in diversifying and expanding trade basket, the two sides discussed additional market access issues and agreed to discuss bilateral recognition arrangements of equivalence on SPS and TBT measures. Both sides also agreed to identify bilateral focal points to further strengthen bilateral institutional cooperation.   The discussions of the 1st Session of India-Mauritius High-Powered Joint Trade Committee were cordial and forward-looking, reflecting a common desire of both sides to enhance further trade and investment, and removing any bottlenecks hampering bilateral trade and investments. Both sides agreed to hold the next session of India- Mauritius High Powered JTC meeting in 2023.    Source:  pib.gov.in
05 Aug, 2022 India, South Africa hold 11th Foreign Office Consultations, review ties. India and South Africa held the third round of the 11th Round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi on Wednesday where both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations.   'The 11th Session of India-South Africa Foreign Office Consultations was held on 03 August 2022 in New Delhi. The Consultations were co-chaired by Puneet R. Kundal, JS (East and Southern Africa), Ministry of External Affairs and Ntombizodwa Msutukazi Lallie, Acting Deputy Director-General Asia and the Middle East, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa,' the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.   Both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations covering political exchanges, defence, economic and commercial issues, consular matters, cooperation in the field of agriculture, health, energy and minerals, human resource development, art, culture, sports and import of Cheetahs from South Africa for reintroduction in India.   The two sides also reviewed the status of the agreements under negotiation and agreed to expedite their finalization for the mutual benefit of both countries. During the consultations, it was decided to celebrate the completion of 30 years of diplomatic ties, through cultural and sports events.   'Both sides also reviewed the status of MOUs/agreements under negotiation and agreed to expedite their finalization for the mutual benefit of both the countries. In light of the upcoming completion of 30 years of ties between the two countries, it was decided to celebrate the occasion suitably, both in India and South Africa, through cultural and sports events and other activities,' MEA said.   Both sides expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade which touched $17 billion in 2021-22 and agreed on the importance of further diversifying their trade.   The two sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues including cooperation at the UN, BRICS, IBSA and IORA. The South African side assured of their support for the upcoming India G20 Presidency while the Indian side expressed its support for South Africa’s BRICS Chairship in 2023.   Both sides also discussed regional issues, global developments and issues of common interest including the situation in Ukraine.   The two sides agreed to continue high-level exchanges and regular meetings of the institutional mechanisms such as the Joint Commission and various Joint Working Groups to keep up the momentum in bilateral relations. According to MEA, the Indian side also reiterated an invitation to South Africa to join International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.  Source:  theprint.in
05 Aug, 2022 UK waives ethylene oxide contamination tests for Indian organic products. The United Kingdom has done away with its mandatory requirement to test imports of Indian organic products for ethylene oxide (ETO) contamination since July 1.    This is a significant development and a vote of confidence in the Indian organic certification process, particularly in tackling ETO contamination.    The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had made it compulsory to test Indian organic products from January 1 this year. But the order on ETO contamination tests expired on June 30. Thus, Indian organic products arriving in the UK need not be tested by the importer anymore, said the UK Soil Association.    However, Defra will continue to monitor the imports of organic products from India.    May influence EU According to trade analyst S Chandrasekaran, who tracks organic product shipments from India, the reversal of the mandatory testing for ETO contamination of Indian organic agriculture products by the UK is 'a great recognition' for the revamping of India’s Organic Agriculture Certification system.     The UK scrapping the need for ETO contamination tests could now influence the European Union (EU) to follow suit. 'If UK takes such a decision, the EU could follow its steps. UK food testing standards are high,' he said.    Until last year, many Indian organic shipments were detected with the presence of ETO by the EU and rejected. However, the situation looks to be under control now.   This will strengthen India’s position in the ongoing negotiations with the EU on free trade agreement. 'More recognition can be expected in the next few months,' Chandrasekaran said.      The UK development comes at a time when the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Indian authority for organic farming and products production and exports, has begun cracking down on irregularities in the certification process.    Two weeks ago, APEDA took action against three agencies, including one in Europe, for their lapses in the certification process. The National Accreditation Board (NAB) for organic products withdrew its accreditation for one certification agency and cancelled another while reporting the third one to the European Union.    It has also penalised all three certifying agencies. Before this, in January this year, APEDA suspended TQ Cert for similar lapses.   More importantly, APEDA banned five certifying agencies in November last year after organic products certified by them for exports were found violating the European Commission’s ETO norms.   India exported about $1 billion worth of organic products in the last couple of years with the US, EU and Canada being the largest buyers.     Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
05 Aug, 2022 Piyush Goyal may meet traders on export targets. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal is likely to meet export promotion councils on Friday to discuss the country's export performance, targets and various trade agreements India is currently negotiating.   The meeting comes in the wake of India's exports dipping in July, the trade deficit touching a record high, and exporters raising concerns at the global slowdown impacting India's outbound shipments in the next two quarters.   'It is a broader meeting to discuss free trade agreements, new products and markets and the overall trade scenario,' said an official, adding that the ministry takes inputs from the industry regularly.   India's exports shrank by 0.76% on-year to $35.24 billion in July after 16 months, but the sequential contraction was sharper at 12.18% from June. The trade deficit was an all-time high of $31 billion in the month and more-than-doubled to over $100 billion from $42.1 billion a year ago in the first four months of FY23.    Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
05 Aug, 2022 APAMB opens door for pvt investment in agri-horti sector. The Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Marketing Board (APAMB) concluded a ceremonial agreement between Chandigarh (Punjab)-based IG Fresh Produce Private Limited (IGFPPL) and farmers of Namshu village in West Kameng district 'for state of art cultivation of exotic fruits like kiwi and stone fruit on 40 hectares of land at Namsu village' in a function at the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation & Investment Park in Niti Vihar here on Thursday.   'With this, the agriculture sector in the state will receive the much-needed investment for its growth. The IGFPPL has envisaged investment of more than Rs 100 crore in five years in the cultivation, R&D and post harvest activities of kiwi in West Kameng district. The project will also generate gainful employment (technical and non-technical) for 500 youths over a period of five years in the Kameng sector and from the rest of Arunachal Pradesh,' the APAMB stated in a release.   'This will not only boost the production of kiwi in the state but also increase the sale and export of kiwi and other fruits from the region,' it added.   The APAMB is the premier agency of the state government that is exclusively responsible for the marketing of agriculture and allied sectors’ produces. The IGFPPL is one of the top fresh fruit importers in the country and a major supply chain player. 'It has developed an efficient supply chain of providing high-quality fresh fruits like apples, kiwis, citrus, pears, blueberries, avocados, stone fruit, grapes, etc, to 27 cities across the nation,' the release said.   Addressing the function, Agriculture & Allied Departments Minister Tage Taki congratulated the APAMB and the Invest India team for 'actively working to achieve this feat' and said that 'initiatives like this can make the import of kiwi zero in the country.'   The minister gave assurance that the state government would provide 'all the necessary help to IG Fresh Produce and farmers.'   Dirang MLA Phurpa Tsering said that 'this kind of path-breaking initiative of the agriculture marketing board is commendable.   'The marketing board has moved from traditional departmental activities and working like a corporate office, which is the need of the hour for the betterment of farmers, stakeholders and for the state as a whole,' he said.   He congratulated the APAMB and the AP Innovation and Investment Park 'for tie-up with Invest India NE desk team and initiating the first project in Dirang (West Kameng).'   IGFPPL president Gautam Kumar Jha explained the functioning of his company in terms of import and distribution of fruits throughout the country, while NEC Shillong health adviser Calvin Harris Kharshiing assured to provide all possible help to make the enterprise a success.   Invest India NE desk head Geetima Das said that 'the central government is committed and focused on the growth and development of NE India and this initiative has the potential to contribute significantly towards the growth of Arunachal Pradesh.'   APAMB CEO Okit Palling said that, 'for agriculture and horticulture sector to take a new leap, the only possibility is through private investment. The government sector is basically for technology transfer through R&D and agri-horti extension services and support from state government and centre are basically welfare in nature and not commercial.   'Hence, investment in the sector is the pathway for the sector to grow and flourish,' he said.  Source:  arunachaltimes.in
04 Aug, 2022 Haryana contributes maximum to e-NAM trade value. Haryana has emerged as the major contributor in terms of total trade value on the e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) platform of the Government.   Trade in agricultural produce has so far been recorded at a value of Rs.2.04 lakh crore by 18 States and three union territories on e-NAM platform till June 30. Of them, Haryana’s share was at Rs.62,757 crore. This was followed by Rajasthan at Rs.38,794 crore and Andhra Pradesh at Rs.30,890 crore.   Among the union territories, the agricultural produce trade value recorded in Chandigarh was Rs.472 crore. This was registered from one mandi where 7,106 farmers and 114 traders have been registered.   In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said the Government is implementing the e-NAM scheme in order to facilitate farmers with remunerative prices for their produce through online competitive bidding system in transparent manner.   Rajasthan leads the pack Under the scheme, three reforms are mandatory for States and union territories in their respective State Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Acts for integrating their mandis with the e-NAM platform. They are provisions for e-trading, a single-point levy of market fees, and a unified single trading licence for the State. States without APMC Act need to provide legally enforceable guidelines and institutional mechanism for implementing e-NAM, he said.   Mandis are considered for integration by the Government with e-NAM platform based on the proposals received from the compliant states and union territories.   Of the total 1,000 mandis integrated with the platform, Rajasthan led the list with 144 mandis. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh at 125 and Gujarat 122. Maharashtra has integrated 118 mandis with e-NAM platform.   Of the 1.73 crore farmers registered on the e-NAM platform, Uttar Pradesh came first by registering 33 lakh farmers on it. The number of farmers registered on e-NAM stood at 30.21 lakh and 27.25 lakh in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, respectively.   Of the 2.26 lakh traders registered on the platform, 82,359 traders were from Rajasthan, followed by 35,029 traders from Uttar Pradesh and 22,337 traders from Madhya Pradesh.   FPOs To another question, Tomar said 8,716 FPOs (farmer producer organisations) produce clusters have been allocated so far to implementing agencies for the formation of FPOs. Of this, 3,179 FPOs have been registered.   The Government has launched the central sector scheme for the formation and promotion of 10,000 FPOs in 2020 with a total budgetary outlay of Rs.6,865 crore. These FPOs will leverage economies of scale, reduce of cost of production, and enhance farmers’ income.   Under the scheme, the FPOs are to be developed in produce clusters, wherein agricultural and horticultural produce is grown/cultivated for leveraging economies of scale and improving market access for members.   Formation and promotion of FPOs are to be done through implementing agencies, which further engage cluster-based business organizations to form and provide professional hand-holding support to FPOs for a period of five years.   Crop insurance To a separate query on the crop insurance claims, the Minister said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is mainly implemented on ‘area approach’ basis. Admissible claims are worked out and paid directly to the insured farmer’s account by the insurance companies based on the yield data, based on the requisite number of crop cutting experiments (CCEs), per unit area, furnished to the insurance company by the concerned State government and claim calculation formula envisaged in the operational guidelines of the scheme, subject to receipt of State government’s requisite share in premium subsidy.   However, losses due to localized risks of hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloud burst and natural fire and post-harvest losses due to cyclone, cyclonic/unseasonal rains and hailstorms are calculated on individual insured farm basis. These claims are assessed by a joint committee comprising representatives of State Government and concerned insurance company.  Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
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