Kolkata: Bengal is now second ranked nationally in enrolling farmers under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), with 32 lakh farmers brought under the scheme till Sept 15, CM Suvendu Adhikari said in a social media post on Saturday.Adhikari said the previous Mamata Banerjee govt had stopped farmer registration under PMFBY in 2019-20, depriving Bengal farmers of crop insurance protection.“After BJP came to office, giving top priority to farmer interests, this crop insurance facility has been restarted. An unprecedented response has been received in the very first phase,” he posted.District-wise, East Midnapore led with 7.2 lakh farmers enrolled, followed by Paschim Medinipur (4.7 lakh), Hooghly (1.6 lakh), and Jhargram (42,000).Special camps were organised at every gram panchayat level from Aug to Sept 15 to enroll flood-affected farmers directly under insurance protection, the CM said.The state govt is bearing the major portion of farmer premiums. For up to one hectare of land, farmers pay a token Rs 1; for one to two hectares, Rs 100 per acre. The state covers the remaining premium.Adhikari said insurance companies have been directed to immediately finalise “mid-season adversity” assessments for Aug 2026 flood-affected farmers. The deadline for registering loanee farmers through banks has been extended to Sept 30.
