Shri H.R.Dave, DMD delivered a Special Address on “Better technology, Better harvests, Better lives” in a Conference organized by Swiss Re India Agricultural Insurance Forum on 1st September 2017 in Mumbai. Speaking on the occasion, he stated the ecology in which the crop insurance as being practiced in India is witnessing rapid metamorphosis. These changes include reversal of the long declining trend of investment credit in the agriculture sector, big spurt in both soft and hard rural infrastructure financing, largescale investment in creating irrigation infrastructure, etc. These changes were driven by major policy changes based on prioritization by GOI. NABARD plays an important role in implementing many of these policies. NABARD funds about 20 percent of the rural infrastructure, mobilizes funds for accelerated implementation of irrigation projects. NABARD also recently organized water campaign in one lakh villages in 240 water stressed districts of our country for conservation of water. State Governments are now considering integration of such interventions with Government sponsored programmes like MNAREGA. NABARD has also been promoting farmers’ collectives in a big way and has a vision to promote more than 30,000 Farmers Producer Organization. NABARD as the only National Designated Entity for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for the entire Country would be channelizing international funds in coming years for both public and private adaptation/ mitigation interventions on climate variability and change.
DMD also spoke about need for enhancing satisfaction level of the farmers on the services of crop Insurance providers. He stated that 50% of the farmers have not availed any institutional loans and majority of these farmers do not have risk cover. He, therefore, suggested that Insurance Companies should take steps for increasing coverage of non-loanee farmers and also address problems of tenant farmers & oral lessees. He suggested that there are about 2.5 lakh Business Correspondents in equal number of villages and they can be a potent vehicle for increasing crop insurance penetration in India.