In a first, jute included in crop insurance scheme

BALURGHAT: South Dinajpur district has achieved a significant milestone as jute has been included in the crop insurance scheme for the first time. Initially, efforts are underway to register the names of jute farmers. As many as 43,000 farmers have applied to get their names registered. Officials believe this number could increase further.

There is a yearly loss in jute cultivation in the district due to irregular and insufficient rainfall. This year too, erratic and inadequate rainfall has affected the farmers. Chief Agricultural Officer Pranab Kumar Mukherjee stated: “Our target was initially only 5,000 names, but around 43,000 farmers have been registered. Without rainfall, there is a possibility of loss in jute cultivation. Hence, there is considerable interest among farmers to opt for insurance.”

Jute was not covered under the Bangla Shasya Bima until 2019, when it was briefly included but suspended due to the pandemic. However, in 2024, it was reintroduced. Despite a rainfall deficit of nearly 30 per cent in the district, farmers are sowing jute.

Mrityunjay Chowdhury, a farmer from Balurghat, remarked: “We are not experiencing proper rainfall here. Therefore, there is a possibility of losses from jute cultivation this year. We face the same problem every time. This year, we have opted for insurance for jute. Therefore, we have applied without delay. Even if the jute is destroyed, we will not incur losses.” According to sources from the district Agriculture department, jute is cultivated on approximately 25,000 hectares of land in South Dinajpur. Among them, farmers have registered their names for about 13,000 hectares of land. Applications for form fill-up were accepted from April 1 to May 30 during the Kharif season. Due to increased demand, the deadline was extended to June 18, resulting in applications from nearly 43,000 farmers.