PMFBY Farmer Benefits 2016–2025 – Rs.1.92 Lakh Crore Claims Paid

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has delivered Rs.1,92,477 crore in insurance claims to farmers across India between 2016–17 and 2024–25 — making it the largest crop insurance scheme in the world by farmer enrolments. According to official data presented in Lok Sabha on 10 March 2026 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, a total of 78.70 crore farmer applications were enrolled under PMFBY and its allied scheme RWBCIS, out of which 23.22 crore farmers received claims. This guide covers the complete state-wise benefits data, premium rates, how the scheme works, and how farmers can apply and file claims in 2026.

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With farmers paying only a maximum of 2% premium for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, and the Government of India and State Governments sharing the remaining actuarial premium, PMFBY has ensured that for every Rs.100 paid as premium, farmers received approximately Rs.500 in claims. Bookmark this page for the latest state-wise data, 2026 Kharif enrolment deadlines, and step-by-step guidance on applying and filing a claim.

What Is PMFBY and Who Benefits?

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is India’s flagship government-backed crop insurance scheme launched on 18 February 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It provides comprehensive financial protection to farmers against crop loss or damage from pre-sowing to post-harvest — covering natural calamities, droughts, floods, hailstorms, pest attacks, and diseases. Farmers pay a small, fixed premium capped at 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi, and 5% for commercial/horticultural crops, while the Central and State Governments collectively bear the remaining actuarial premium cost.

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Since its launch in 2016, PMFBY has evolved from a compulsory scheme for loanee farmers to a fully voluntary scheme for all farmers from 2020 onwards. Total farmer enrolments have grown from 3.17 crore in 2022–23 to 4.19 crore in 2024–25 — a 32% increase — demonstrating rising farmer trust and adoption. The scheme operates on the principle of “One Nation – One Crop – One Premium”, ensuring uniform, affordable premium rates for the same crop across every state.

PMFBY is today ranked as the largest crop insurance scheme in the world by farmer enrolments and the third-largest globally by premium volume. The cumulative data from 2016–17 to 2024–25, presented to Lok Sabha in March 2026, confirms that Rs.1,92,477.31 crore in claims have been paid against a farmer premium contribution of Rs.36,055.07 crore — a return ratio of approximately 5:1 in farmers’ favour.

Who Should Apply for PMFBY in 2026?

PMFBY in 2026 is a voluntary scheme open to all categories of farmers growing notified crops in notified areas. Here is a clear breakdown of who qualifies and why they should enrol before the Kharif 2026 deadline of 31 July 2026.

• 🌾 Loanee Farmers (Crop Loan Borrowers): Farmers who have taken Seasonal Agricultural Operations (SAO) loans from banks are eligible and can enrol through their lending bank. Since 2020, even loanee farmers have the option to opt out in writing — but enrolling is strongly recommended given the 5:1 return ratio.
• 🤝 Non-Loanee Farmers: Owner-cultivators without crop loans can apply voluntarily through the PMFBY portal (pmfby.gov.in), Common Service Centres (CSCs), or their nearest bank branch. Non-loanee enrolments have grown from 20 lakh in 2014–15 to 522 lakh in 2024–25.
• 👩‍🌾 Tenant Farmers & Sharecroppers: Eligible under state government norms. These farmers must have an insurable interest in the crop and provide required land/tenancy documents as per state notification.
• 🌳 Farmers in Forest-Adjacent Areas (New — Kharif 2026): Newly eligible for the Wild Animal Attack add-on cover under the Localised Risk category — particularly beneficial for farmers in states like Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam, and Karnataka.
• 🌊 Coastal & Flood-Prone Paddy Farmers (New — Kharif 2026): Farmers growing paddy in flood-prone areas now have access to the reintroduced Paddy Inundation cover — most relevant in Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
• 📱 Small & Marginal Farmers: Small farmers accounted for nearly 64% of PMFBY beneficiaries in Kharif 2025, confirming the scheme’s strong reach to India’s most economically vulnerable agricultural households.
• 👩 Women Farmers: In Kharif 2025, women accounted for 15% of insured farmers. States with active outreach through Bima Vahaks (village-level women insurance agents launched in 2026) are seeing rising women enrolment.
• 🌱 Farmers in States That Waive the Premium: Several states — including Odisha (up to 5 acres free) — fully bear the farmer’s premium share, meaning eligible farmers can get crop insurance at zero cost. Check your state agriculture department portal for state-specific waivers.

PMFBY Cumulative Benefits to Farmers 2016–2025

The following data presents the complete cumulative financial benefit delivered to Indian farmers under PMFBY and RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme) from 2016–17 to 2024–25, as reported in the official government Annexure presented to Lok Sabha on 10 March 2026.

All-India Cumulative Summary (2016–17 to 2024–25)

These figures confirm PMFBY’s role as India’s most impactful agricultural safety net. Maharashtra alone accounts for Rs.45,449.17 crore in claims paid to 6.24 crore beneficiaries — the highest of any state. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan together contributed over 1.01 crore applications while also receiving among the largest claim payouts, reflecting their exposure to weather-related crop risks.

State-Wise Claims & Farmer Benefits Data (Official Annexure)

The table below reproduces the complete official Annexure submitted to Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on 10 March 2026. It covers cumulative data under PMFBY & RWBCIS from 2016–17 to 2024–25 as on 31 December 2025. Data is presented exactly as disclosed by MoS Agriculture Shri Bhagirath Chaudhary in his written reply.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, PIB Press Release dated 10 March 2026. Data from Lok Sabha written reply by MoS Agriculture Shri Bhagirath Chaudhary. Cumulative under PMFBY & RWBCIS from 2016–17 to 2024–25 as on 31.12.2025.

Top 5 States by Claims Paid to Farmers

Top 5 States by Farmer Applications Enrolled

How PMFBY Works — Step-by-Step Process

Understanding how PMFBY operates from enrolment to claim payout helps farmers maximise their benefit and avoid common mistakes that lead to claim rejection.

1. Check Notified Crops and Notified Areas: Confirm that your crop and your village/block/district are notified under PMFBY for the current season. Each state publishes a list of notified crops and areas on its agriculture department portal and on pmfby.gov.in. Only notified crops in notified areas are eligible for coverage.
2. Enrol Before the Deadline: Apply before the state’s cut-off date — generally 31 July 2026 for Kharif and 31 December 2026 for Rabi. Late enrolments are not accepted. Loanee farmers are enrolled automatically by their lending bank unless they opt out in writing before the deadline.
3. Choose Your Mode of Application: Apply online at pmfby.gov.in or through the Crop Insurance mobile app. Offline applications can be submitted at bank branches, Common Service Centres (CSCs), or through your insurance company’s Bima Vahak (village-level agent). CSCs charge Rs.15–20 per application.
4. Submit Required Documents: Aadhaar card, land records / Khasra-Khatauni (for owner-cultivators), tenancy agreement (for tenant farmers), bank account details linked to Aadhaar, sowing certificate / crop details, and mobile number for OTP and alerts.
5. Pay Your Premium: Pay via NEFT/online transfer through the portal, your bank, or CSC. Cash and cheques are not accepted for online enrolment. The farmer’s share is capped at 2% (Kharif), 1.5% (Rabi), or 5% (commercial/horticultural). In several states, the premium is fully waived for eligible farmers.
6. Report Crop Damage Within 72 Hours: If your crop suffers damage due to a localised calamity, you must report the loss within 72 hours via the PMFBY mobile app, pmfby.gov.in, the KrishiRakshak helpline (14447), or your nearest CSC. Missing this 72-hour window for localised damage can void your localised calamity claim.
7. Crop Cutting Experiments / YES-TECH Assessment: For widespread crop loss (drought, flood, area-level yield loss), loss assessment is done through official Crop Cutting Experiments (CCE) and increasingly through YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System using drones and remote sensing, mandatory for paddy, wheat, and soybean from Kharif 2023/2024). You do not need to arrange this assessment — it is done by the State Government and insurance company.
8. Claim Credit via DBT: Approved claim amounts are credited directly to your Aadhaar-linked bank account via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) within 30 days of claim approval (80% of claims in 2025 processed within this timeframe). From Kharif 2024, a 12% per annum penalty is automatically levied on insurers for any delay in claim payment.

PMFBY vs Old Crop Insurance Schemes

PMFBY replaced three earlier crop insurance schemes — MNAIS (Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme), NAIS (National Agricultural Insurance Scheme), and WBCIS (Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme). Here is how PMFBY compares to the old framework on the metrics that matter most to farmers.

Advantages & Limitations of PMFBY

Advantages of PMFBY for Farmers

• Exceptional Value — Rs.500 Back per Rs.100 Paid: Cumulative data confirms farmers received approximately 5 times their premium investment in claims over 2016–2025 — unmatched value for any insurance product in India.
• Universal Crop Coverage: Covers cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, and annual commercial/horticultural crops — including from pre-sowing risks all the way to post-harvest losses, far exceeding older scheme scope.
• Technology-Backed Faster Claims: YES-TECH drone-based yield estimation, AI-assisted damage assessment, and satellite imagery reduce subjectivity in loss measurement and speed up approvals.
• Direct Bank Transfer: Claim amounts credited directly to Aadhaar-linked account via DBT — no middlemen, no cash handling, no delays due to third-party disbursement chains.
• 12% Penalty Protects Farmers: Automatic interest penalty on insurers for payment delays (from Kharif 2024) has significantly reduced the chronic delay problem that plagued older schemes.
• Zero or Near-Zero Cost in Many States: States like Odisha have waived the farmer premium entirely (free insurance up to 5 acres). Several other states provide partial or full premium waivers — reducing the out-of-pocket cost to zero for millions of farmers.
• New Kharif 2026 Covers: Wild Animal Attack and Paddy Inundation Add-on Covers address previously uninsured losses that devastate farmers in forest-adjacent and coastal regions.

Limitations and Challenges

• 72-Hour Window Is Strict: Missing the 72-hour damage reporting deadline for localised calamities remains the most common reason for claim rejection. Farmers in remote areas with limited smartphone/internet access face real challenges meeting this requirement.
• State Dropout Risk: Several large states have opted out of PMFBY at various times (e.g., Bihar, West Bengal, Telangana in certain years), leaving farmers in those states temporarily without access to the scheme’s benefits.
• Coverage Is Crop and Area Specific: Only notified crops in notified areas are covered. If your crop is not in the state’s notified list for that season, you cannot enrol regardless of the damage suffered.
• ESCROW Account Delays at State Level: While mandatory from Kharif 2025, state governments depositing premium shares late has historically been a cause of claim payment delays. The mandatory ESCROW requirement addresses this but compliance varies.
• Low Awareness in Some Regions: Despite strong national numbers, tribal regions and remote farming communities in states like Manipur (only 38,748 enrolled) and Meghalaya (91,819 enrolled) have low penetration, suggesting continued outreach gaps.

Important Terms & Premium Concepts

Understanding these key PMFBY terms helps farmers read their policy documents correctly, verify premium amounts, and ensure they are receiving the correct compensation when claims are settled.

• Actuarial Premium: The full risk-based premium calculated by the insurance company for a specific crop in a specific area. This rate can range from 5% to over 20% of sum insured for high-risk crops — but the farmer pays only the capped government rate (2%/1.5%/5%).
• Sum Insured: The maximum amount insurable per hectare, fixed by the state government based on the Scale of Finance (cost of cultivation). This is the basis for calculating both the farmer’s premium and the maximum claim payable.
• Scale of Finance (SoF): Per-hectare input cost fixed by the District Level Technical Committee (DLTC) for each notified crop. Your sum insured equals the SoF for your crop × your insured area in hectares.
• Cup and Cap Model (80:110): An alternate risk model where if claims exceed 110% of premium, the excess is shared by Centre and State; if claims are below 80%, the State gets a portion of premium back into its treasury.
• Cup and Cap Model (60:130): Similar alternate model with wider risk-sharing corridor — losses between 60% and 130% are shared; States retain more savings when loss ratios are low.
• Profit and Loss Sharing Model: A third alternate where if claims are below a threshold, a portion of government subsidy returns to the state treasury. States can choose any of the four models (standard + 3 alternates).
• YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System): Remote sensing and drone-based yield estimation system mandatory from Kharif 2023 for paddy and wheat (Kharif 2024 for soybean), replacing reliance on manual Crop Cutting Experiments. Provides more objective and faster area-level yield data.
• WINDS Portal (Weather Information Network and Data System): Automatic Weather Station and rain gauge network being expanded fivefold to provide accurate local weather data for PMFBY loss assessment.
• Bima Vahak: Village-level women insurance agents launched in 2026 to assist farmers with PMFBY enrolment and claim filing — particularly in low-penetration rural and tribal areas.
• ESCROW Account: From Kharif 2025, all participating states must maintain a dedicated ESCROW account and deposit their premium share in advance to ensure timely and uninterrupted claim payments to farmers.

Important Dates — PMFBY 2026

Important Links

Frequently Asked Questions About PMFBY Benefits to Farmers

How much total claim money has been paid to farmers under PMFBY since 2016?

According to official data presented in Lok Sabha on 10 March 2026 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, a total of Rs.1,92,477.31 crore in claims has been paid to farmers under PMFBY and RWBCIS cumulatively from 2016–17 to 2024–25 (as on 31 December 2025). This amount was disbursed to 23.22 crore farmer applicants out of 78.70 crore total applications enrolled during the same period.

How much premium do farmers pay under PMFBY and how much do they get back?

Farmers cumulatively paid Rs.36,055.07 crore as their share of premium from 2016–17 to 2024–25, against which Rs.1,92,477.31 crore was paid as claims. This means for every Rs.100 paid by farmers as premium, they received approximately Rs.500 back as claims — a 5:1 return ratio that makes PMFBY one of the most farmer-favourable insurance programmes in the world. The farmer’s premium is capped at 2% for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, and 5% for commercial/horticultural crops. The government bears all premium above these rates.

Which state has received the highest PMFBY claims?

Maharashtra has received the highest total claims under PMFBY — Rs.45,449.17 crore disbursed to 6.24 crore farmer beneficiaries since 2016. It is also the state with the highest number of enrolled applications (13.22 crore). Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan follow with Rs.31,737.14 crore and Rs.31,554.48 crore respectively, with Rajasthan leading in total applications enrolled at 19.42 crore.

What is the 72-hour rule in PMFBY and what happens if I miss it?

The 72-hour rule requires that farmers report localised calamity losses (hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloud burst, natural fire) within 72 hours of the damage event. This can be done via the PMFBY mobile app, the pmfby.gov.in portal, the KrishiRakshak helpline (14447), or through your nearest CSC. If you miss this 72-hour window, your localised calamity claim may be rejected. However, this rule applies only to localised damage — for area-level losses like widespread drought or flood, automatic state-level loss assessment applies and no farmer-side 72-hour reporting is required.

Is PMFBY free for farmers in any state?

Yes. Several states have waived the farmer premium share entirely. Odisha, for example, offers free crop insurance coverage up to 5 acres for eligible farmers under Kharif 2026, with only a nominal Re.1 per plot account validation fee. States like West Bengal and Jharkhand have also waived farmer premium in various seasons. Check your state agriculture department portal or call 14447 to confirm whether your state has announced a premium waiver for the current season before paying your share.

How long does it take to receive a PMFBY claim payment?

Under reforms implemented since Kharif 2024, insurance companies are required to settle claims within 30 days of approval, with 80% of claims in 2025 processed within this timeline. From Kharif 2024, a 12% per annum automatic interest penalty applies to insurers for any delay beyond the prescribed timeline — creating a strong financial incentive for timely payment. Claims are credited directly to the farmer’s Aadhaar-linked bank account via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), eliminating delays from intermediary handling.

What are the new covers added under PMFBY from Kharif 2026?

Two significant new Add-on Covers have been introduced under the Localised Risk category from Kharif 2026. First, Wild Animal Attack — covering crop damage caused by wild animals — benefits farmers in forest-adjacent areas who previously had no insurance recourse for this type of loss. Second, Paddy Inundation — covering paddy crop submergence in flood-prone and coastal areas — has been reintroduced as a Localised Calamity Cover, benefiting farmers in coastal states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. States may opt into these add-on covers as part of their PMFBY implementation notification for Kharif 2026.

How do I check my PMFBY claim status?

You can check your PMFBY claim status online by visiting pmfby.gov.in, going to the Farmer Corner section, and entering your Aadhaar number, application/policy number, or registered mobile number along with the season and year (e.g., Kharif 2026). Status updates typically reflect within 7–10 days of registration or claim filing. If status shows “Pending” after 15 days, contact your insurance company directly or call the KrishiRakshak helpline at 14447. State agriculture portals also publish district/village-wise beneficiary lists periodically.

Who presented the PMFBY data in Parliament and when?

The cumulative state-wise PMFBY and RWBCIS data from 2016–17 to 2024–25 (as on 31.12.2025) was presented by Shri Bhagirath Chaudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 10 March 2026. The data was published as a PIB press release by PIB Delhi on the same date. This data serves as the official government source for all cumulative enrolment, premium, and claim figures cited in this article.

📅 Last Updated: July 2026 | This guide is reviewed and updated regularly for accuracy. Data sourced directly from Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare official PIB press release dated 10 March 2026. Bookmark this page for updated PMFBY state-wise data, scheme changes, and seasonal deadlines.

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