PANAJI
With farmers facing crop losses from both excessive rainfall in previous seasons and deficient rainfall this year, barely 0.69 per cent of Goa’s agricultural land has been covered under the Centre’s crop insurance schemes over the last decade, raising concerns over the extent of financial protection available to cultivators against weather-related losses.
Of the State’s approximately 1.44 lakh ha of agricultural land, only around 1,000 ha were insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), according to combined state-wise business statistics compiled by the Union Ministry of Agriculture for 2016-17 to 2025-26, up to March 31, 2026.
The data shows that Goa recorded just 0.01 lakh ha of insured area and 0.04 lakh insured farmer applications under the two schemes during the period. The total sum insured stood at Rs 15.42 crore, while claims paid amounted to only Rs 15 lakh.
The limited insurance coverage assumes significance as agriculture in Goa remains vulnerable to increasingly erratic rainfall, with farmers exposed to losses arising from both dry spells and intense showers.
Goa has around 1,43,541 ha under cultivation. Paddy, the State’s staple food crop, occupies 31,519 ha while cashew, a major horticultural and export-oriented crop largely cultivated under rain-fed conditions on hill slopes, covers approximately 56,934 ha. Coconut plantations span another 26,683 hectares, supporting the rural economy and coastal ecology.
This year, deficient rainfall has affected paddy cultivation across the State. The Agriculture Department’s preliminary assessment indicates crop damage across around 25 hectares, mainly in upland areas. Goa received around 32 per cent less rainfall than normal during the monsoon, reported to be the driest in five decades.
The Agriculture Department is assessing the extent of crop losses and the compensation payable to eligible farmers.
In previous seasons, however, excessive rainfall caused damage to standing crops. In November 2025, nearly 150 hectares of farmland in Pernem were reported to have been affected by unseasonal rain, with losses estimated at around Rs 70 lakh. Excess rainfall in 2024 also contributed to substantial agricultural losses across the State.
The contrasting experiences underline the financial risks faced by cultivators, whose crops can be damaged by prolonged dry spells as well as unseasonal or intense rainfall.
Against this backdrop, the small area covered under the Centre’s crop insurance schemes raises questions about their reach among Goa’s farming community and the extent to which cultivators are protected against weather-related crop losses.
