Crop Damage, Insurance and India’s Agricultural Growth
India’s agriculture sector showed resilience in 2025 despite hydro-meteorological shocks that affected an estimated 116.60 lakh hectares of cropped area across several States and UTs. The Centre and states have followed established disaster-management and crop-insurance mechanisms including SDRF/NDRF aid and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) payouts to protect farmers and sustain agricultural growth. At the same time, first advance estimates place kharif foodgrain production for 2025-26 at a record 1,733.30 Lakh Metric Tonnes, up 2.28% year-on-year.
According to data shared with Parliament, states reported varied crop losses during the 2025 monsoon. Maharashtra (75.42 lakh ha) and Karnataka (14.81 lakh ha) accounted for the largest affected areas, followed by Sikkim (8.11 lakh ha), Haryana (4.32 lakh ha) and Uttar Pradesh (2.22 lakh ha). The National Policy on Disaster Management places primary responsibility for immediate relief with state governments, using the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
The Central Government supplements state responses with logistics and funding, and in severe disasters may provide additional assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) following an assessment by an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). These layered arrangements aim to restore livelihoods and speed recovery for affected cultivators.
Insurance: PMFBY’s Role in Stabilising Farmer Incomes
Crop insurance under PMFBY and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) remains a cornerstone of risk mitigation. For kharif 2025, about 746.7 lakh farmers were enrolled and claims totalling Rs. 127.8 crore were approved, with Rs. 119.9 crore already paid as of October 31, 2025. States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka reported large enrolments and significant claim settlements, reflecting both exposure and the scheme’s reach.
While PMFBY covers many affected farmers, the scheme’s effectiveness depends on timely assessment, fair loss estimation and expedited claim settlement particularly in high-impact districts where crop losses translate to acute income shocks.
Record Kharif Output and Structural Support
Despite localized losses, first advance estimates indicate a bumper kharif foodgrain output of 1,733.30 LMT in 2025-26 a rise of 38.70 LMT over the previous year. This aggregate growth underlines the sector’s underlying productivity gains, driven by better seeds, expanded irrigation, mechanisation and policy support.
Price Support: MSP Framework
The government sets Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated crops and Fair & Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane on CACP recommendations. MSP consideration factors include cost of production, demand-supply dynamics, international prices and an aim of at least a 50% margin over cost where feasible. Recent MSP revisions across Kharif and Rabi crops detailed in official annexures remain central to farmers’ price expectations and procurement strategy.
Data Highlights and State Variations
The official annexures submitted in Parliament provide granular state-wise damage estimates and PMFBY statistics. Notably, Maharashtra’s large affected area contrasts with states reporting minimal damage, reflecting the highly spatial nature of hydro-meteorological events. Similarly, enrolment and claim patterns under PMFBY show heterogeneity: some states demonstrated higher approved and paid claims, indicating administrative responsiveness and higher insurance penetration.
Policy Levers to Reduce Crop Damage Impact
To mitigate the long-run impact of crop damage on agricultural growth, policymakers emphasise several measures: strengthening early-warning and watershed infrastructure, widening micro-irrigation (Per Drop More Crop), expanding crop insurance outreach, and incentivising diversification away from high-risk crops. Investment in post-harvest infrastructure under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and expansion of FPOs also helps reduce distress sales and value-chain losses.
What Farmers Need Now
For affected farmers, rapid claim settlement, targeted relief transfers and quick restoration of inputs are priorities. Equally important are institutional supports from extension services for replanting to market linkages that ensure remunerative prices for harvested crops. State and central coordination, backed by transparent data and local grievance mechanisms, will be crucial to convert relief into a durable recovery.