JAMMU, Sept 24 (KNS) : The Jammu and Kashmir government has admitted that the horticulture sector, a major pillar of the Union Territory's economy, has suffered substantial losses to the extent of about 60 per cent in some areas due to natural calamities like hailstorms, floods, and heavy rains in recent years.
In a written reply to a starred question in the Assembly regarding the Crop Insurance Scheme, the Agriculture Production Department as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) stated that approximately 35 lakh people, comprising 7.5 lakh families, are directly or indirectly associated with the horticulture sector, which contributes roughly 10 per cent to the UT's GDP and generates an estimated annual income of Rs 12,000 crore.
The reply was furnished in response to queries raised by MLAs Pirzada Farooq Ah Shah, Gh Mohi-ud-din Mir, and Irfan Hafiz Lone.
The government as per KNS confirmed that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is presently being implemented in all 20 districts of J&K. The scheme is demand-driven, with no cap on the number of farmers to be covered. Accordingly, all 13.985 lakh Farmer Families (FoFs) of the UT are eligible to avail the benefits, subject to applicable guidelines.
According to data provided in the reply, over the past seven years (2017-18 to 2025-26), a total of 12,89,917 farmers have been covered under the scheme across 6.86 lakh hectares. The government has settled 3,72,134 claims, disbursing a total of Rs 221.71 crore to affected farmers.
Addressing the issue of pending genuine claims, the government cited "Aadhaar non-verification, closure of bank accounts, de-seeding of Aadhaar from the NPCI mapper by banks, and bank accounts being blocked or frozen" as the major reasons.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
To resolve these issues, the government has launched a special campaign. Approximately 60 per cent of affected farmers have been contacted, and requisite documents are being collected daily for verification and settlement of pending claims.
Regarding the scope of the insurance scheme, the reply clarified that the existing PMFBY covers hailstorm damage to notified crops, including paddy and maize during Kharif, and wheat and oilseeds during Rabi. Under the basic cover, the scheme provides area-based insurance against yield losses from sowing to harvesting arising from non-preventable risks such as drought, dry spells, floods, inundation, widespread pest and disease attacks, landslides, natural fire, lightning, storms, hailstorms, and cyclones.
Furthermore, responding to concerns about fruit-laden vehicles getting stranded on the national highway during peak harvest season, the government outlined steps taken to ensure smooth transportation. A dedicated Control Room at Qazigund has been established for real-time traffic monitoring and coordination. The Mughal Road is being utilized as an alternative route, and railway parcel/goods/freight services from Anantnag and Budgam to Delhi have been facilitated to diversify the transportation network and minimize the risk of prolonged stranding of vehicles. (KNS)