Sindh to launch crop insurance programme

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to initiate a crop insurance programme to compensate for losses caused by various factors.

In a meeting chaired by Sindh’s Minister for Agriculture Sardar Mohammad Bakhsh Mahar, the secretary of agriculture and other officials briefed about the crop insurance plan. Per Mahar, crop insurance is essential in Sindh to cover damages from potential floods, rains, diseases, heat, pests, and climate change. The provincial government has also introduced the Benazir Hari Card to assist farmers. The goal is to provide farmers with crop insurance under the Benazir Hari Card programme.

To implement the insurance model, an insurance company, Pula Advisors, will support farmers in Sindh. The provincial government aims to insure crops like rice, cotton and wheat. The minister further mentioned that the Sindh agriculture department has approved a one-year pilot project for crop insurance, which will begin in the Kharif season of 2025. Under this project, the insurance company will support Sindh’s farmers through area yield index insurance. If the pilot project is successful, it will be extended to 27 more districts. After its success, sugarcane and other crops will also be included in the crop insurance programme. The project will start on a trial basis in two districts, Larkana and Ghotki, in the first phase.