CONSTRAINTS FACED BY THE BENEFICIARIES OF PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA (PMFBY) IN TIRUCHIRAPPALLI DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU

Crop insurance is a crucial tool for risk management that helps farmers deal with possible risks brought about by climate change in an efficient manner. The third-largest crop insurance programme, PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana), serves as an assistance programme for farmers who have lost crops due to natural disasters. This study attempts to identify the major constraints faced by the farmers while availing the crop insurance programme. The research was conducted in the Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu, specifically focusing on the Thuraiyur and Uppiliyapuram blocks due to their significant horticulture crop coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Six villages were purposefully selected from these blocks, considering the number of PMFBY beneficiaries. Employing a proportionate random sampling method, the sample size of 120 was determined. A well-structured and tested interview schedule was used to conduct in-person interviews with the chosen respondents. The constraints were ranked using the Rank-Based Quotient (RBQ) method. The primary challenges faced by the beneficiaries included high premium rates, lack of understanding of the crop insurance programme, lack of trust among farmers about the programme and delay in receiving compensation for crop losses. Clarifying the procedure of getting insurance, lowering the premium rate, organizing training sessions on online insurance applications for farmers’ benefit, preventing delayed payment of compensation and establishing initiatives to inform farmers about PMFBY enables all farmers to benefit from it.