Agri dept steps up verification of cyclone crop insurance claims

Vijayawada: The agriculture department stepped up measures to expedite the settlement of crop insurance claims following crop losses caused by Cyclones Arnab and Murasu. Director of agriculture Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon has directed officials to verify the crop details of insured farmers by cross-checking the insurance premiums paid at the beginning of the season with the records available on the e-Panta portal.

At a review meeting held at the Directorate of Agriculture in Amaravati on Thursday, Dr Samoon assessed the progress of crop insurance-related activities and discussed measures to ensure the speedy processing of claims. He said farmers across several parts of the state had suffered crop losses due to the cyclones and that timely settlement of insurance claims would provide them with much-needed financial support.

He reviewed the progress of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs), which play a crucial role in determining eligibility for yield-based insurance claims. He sought updates from planning department deputy director Ayesha Sultana and assistant director Rohini Kumari on field-level activities and directed officials to expedite the process.

The director also stressed the importance of submitting weekly CCE reports, stating that the data would help estimate paddy arrivals at procurement centres and facilitate better procurement planning.

He reviewed the YES TECH system, which uses satellite technology for crop yield estimation, with officials from ICRISAT and APSAC. Officials informed him that paddy crop damage assessments were underway in 16 cyclone-affected districts, with 13 districts covered under YES TECH monitoring. Representatives of the state planning department, NIC, APSAC, horticulture and agriculture departments participated. Special officer for agriculture Insurance, Dharba Venugopal, coordinated the meeting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dasari Srinivasa Rao

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Dasari Srinivasa Rao is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering NTR and Krishna districts, with a primary focus on Vijayawada. He has 32 years of experience in journalism. His reporting spans a wide range of beats, including city and rural development, politics, irrigation, education, crime, and human-interest stories.

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