PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): Premium, Coverage, Eligibility & How to Apply

Updated: 24 September 2026 · Last Verified: 24 September 2026 · By: Akshay Kumar, Editor

Quick Answer

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a central government crop insurance scheme that protects farmers against crop loss from natural calamities, pests, and diseases, from sowing to post-harvest. Farmers pay only a small, capped share of the premium — 2% for Kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food and oilseed crops, and 5% for annual commercial or horticultural crops — while the government covers the rest. Launched in 2016, it’s now implemented across 27 states and union territories.

Key Highlights

What Is PMFBY?

PMFBY is a crop insurance scheme that protects farmers against financial loss when their crop fails or is damaged due to unforeseen events — natural calamities, pests, or diseases — at any stage from sowing to post-harvest. It’s administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the same ministry behind PM-KISAN.

According to the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, PMFBY is the world’s largest crop insurance scheme by farmer enrollment, and the third-largest by premium collection. It currently operates in 27 states and union territories, with 20 insurance companies involved in implementing it.

A related component, the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), protects farmers against losses from adverse weather conditions — rainfall, temperature, and humidity swings — that affect crop yield, using weather-parameter data rather than an individual farm assessment.

Benefits

PMFBY covers financial loss from several categories of risk:

• Yield losses on the standing crop, from natural fire and lightning; storm, hailstorm, cyclone, typhoon, or tornado; flood, inundation, and landslide; drought and dry spells; and pest or disease attacks.
• Prevented sowing — if adverse weather stops a majority of insured farmers in a notified area from sowing or planting after they’ve already spent money preparing to, they can claim up to 25% of the sum insured.
• Post-harvest losses — for crops left to dry in the field after harvesting (“cut and spread”), coverage applies for up to 14 days against cyclone, cyclonic rain, or unseasonal rain.
• Localised calamities — damage to individual farms from hailstorm, landslide, or inundation, even if the rest of the notified area isn’t affected.

The premium itself is heavily subsidised: the farmer’s share is capped at 2%, 1.5%, or 5% of the sum insured depending on season and crop type, and the government (central and state) covers the difference between that capped share and the full Actuarial Premium Rate charged by the insurer.

Eligibility

Who Can Apply?

• Farmers growing a notified crop in a notified area for that season, including landowner farmers, tenant farmers, and sharecroppers.
• Both farmers who have taken a crop loan for the season (loanee farmers) and farmers who haven’t (non-loanee farmers) can be covered — loanee farmers are typically enrolled through their lending bank, while non-loanee farmers can self-register. Exact current enrollment requirements can vary by state and season, so confirm with your bank, Common Service Centre, or the official portal before assuming you’re automatically covered or excluded.

What Isn’t Covered?

Unlike a scheme with income-based exclusions, PMFBY doesn’t exclude farmers by economic category — the exclusions here are about which losses a claim won’t cover. According to the official FAQ, these risks and losses are excluded:

• War and similar perils, and nuclear risks
• Riots and malicious damage
• Theft, and loss from acts of enmity
• Crops grazed or destroyed by domestic or wild animals
• Harvested crop that’s been bundled and heaped at a location before threshing (as opposed to left cut-and-spread in the field, which is covered)
• Other preventable risks

Documents Required

These are the commonly required documents; the exact list can vary slightly by state and by which enrollment channel you use (bank, CSC, or self-registration) — the official portal or your bank/CSC will confirm anything state-specific.

How to Apply

1. Loanee farmers: your bank enrolls you for the notified crop when you take a crop loan for the season — confirm with your bank whether you’re covered and how to opt out if you don’t want coverage.
2. Non-loanee farmers: go to the official PMFBY portal (pmfby.gov.in) and use the self-registration option.
3. Fill in your personal, land, crop, and bank account details.
4. Submit the form and pay your capped share of the premium before the enrollment cutoff for that season.
5. Alternatively, you can enroll through your nearest Common Service Centre (CSC) or bank branch instead of self-registering online.
6. Keep your policy ID — you’ll need it to check your application status or claim later.

Never pay anyone more than the official premium amount to enroll — registration itself is not a separate paid service.

Application Mode

Online self-registration at pmfby.gov.in, automatic enrollment through your bank if you’ve taken a crop loan, or offline through a Common Service Centre.

Important Dates

Enrollment deadlines for PMFBY are set separately for each season (Kharif and Rabi) and by each state/UT, and are notified on the official portal closer to each season — there’s no single fixed date that applies across the whole country. Check pmfby.gov.in or your bank/CSC for the current cutoff in your state before the season you want covered.

How to Check Your Application Status or Premium

The official portal has two dedicated tools for this: the Application Status checker, where you can look up your enrollment using your policy details, and the Insurance Premium Calculator, which lets you estimate your premium before enrolling. Both are available on pmfby.gov.in. For loss reporting or grievances, PMFBY also runs the Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH), reachable at 14447.

Official Source

This article explains PMFBY in simpler language for easier understanding. Always verify your eligibility, current premium rates, and application details directly on the official government website before applying or making any decisions.

• Official Website: pmfby.gov.in
• Self-Registration: pmfby.gov.in/selfRegistration
• FAQ: pmfby.gov.in/faq
• Official Guidelines (PDF): pmfby.gov.in/guidelines

Important Notes

• PMFBY is voluntary for states. Not every state implements it — some states have opted out or are not participating in a given season, so check pmfby.gov.in or your state agriculture department to confirm the scheme is available where you farm.
• Your premium share is capped by law at 2% (Kharif food/oilseed), 1.5% (Rabi food/oilseed), or 5% (commercial/horticultural) of the sum insured — the government pays the rest of the actuarial rate.
• Sum insured is calculated per hectare, based on the Scale of Finance set by the District Level Technical Committee for your notified crop and area.
• Claims for post-harvest losses only apply for up to 14 days after harvest, and only for crops left cut-and-spread in the field, not already bundled and heaped.
• Coverage, premium rates, and notified crops/areas can be revised by the government — always check the official site for the current position before enrolling.

Related Schemes

• PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi — income support for land-holding farmer families, from the same ministry
• Farmer Schemes — browse all farmer-related scheme articles on JanAvsara
• Eligibility Guides — understand who qualifies for various government schemes
• Kisan Credit Card (KCC) — short-term crop credit, with an interest subsidy for on-time repayment
• Agriculture Loan & Subsidy Schemes — KCC, MISS and AIF explained

FAQs

What is PMFBY?

A central government crop insurance scheme that pays farmers for crop loss or damage from natural calamities, pests, or diseases, from sowing through post-harvest, in exchange for a small, capped premium.

How much premium do I pay under PMFBY?

A maximum of 2% of the sum insured for Kharif food grain and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food grain and oilseed crops, and 5% for annual commercial or horticultural crops — whichever is less than the full actuarial rate. The government pays the remaining premium.

What crops does PMFBY cover?

Food crops (cereals, millets, and pulses), oilseeds, and annual commercial or annual horticultural crops, provided the specific crop is notified for your area and season.

Is PMFBY enrollment compulsory?

It depends on whether you have a crop loan and your state’s current rules — loanee farmers are typically enrolled through their bank, while non-loanee farmers can enroll voluntarily. Confirm the current requirement with your bank, CSC, or the official portal, since this has been revised over the scheme’s history.

What isn’t covered by PMFBY?

War and nuclear risks, riots, malicious damage, theft, acts of enmity, crops destroyed by grazing animals, harvested crop already bundled and heaped before threshing, and other preventable risks.

How do I check my PMFBY application or claim status?

Use the Application Status checker on pmfby.gov.in with your policy details. For loss reporting or grievances, you can also use the Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline at 14447.