Before 2016, crop insurance reached mostly farmers with bank loans, and most farmers could sell only at their nearest mandi. On 13 January 2016 the Cabinet approved Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, with a uniform farmer premium of 2% for kharif and 1.5% for rabi crops, and on 14 April 2016 the Prime Minister launched e-NAM, the national online agriculture market, starting with 21 mandis in 8 states.
Farm Security · Crop Insurance & e-NAM
Farm Security · Crop Insurance & e-NAM
Two reforms launched in 2016 protect farmers at the two riskiest points of their year: when the weather fails and when the harvest is sold. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana insures crops for a farmer premium of just 2% for kharif and 1.5% for rabi crops, and has paid more than ₹2.06 lakh crore in claims; farmer applications insured grew from 5.86 crore in 2016-17 to 15.14 crore in 2024-25. e-NAM, the national online farm market, now links 1,656 mandis, where produce worth ₹4.84 lakh crore has been traded. The counter shows farmer applications insured each year.
~₹500
Claims per ₹100 of farmer premium
1,656
Mandis on e-NAM (June 2026)
₹4.84 lakh cr
Traded on e-NAM since 2016
Farmer applications insured per year
| Year | Farmer applications insured |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 5.86 crore |
| 2018 | 5.38 crore |
| 2019 | 5.79 crore |
| 2020 | 6.20 crore |
| 2021 | 6.25 crore |
| 2022 | 8.30 crore |
| 2023 | 11.25 crore |
| 2024 | 14.36 crore |
| 2025 | 15.14 crore |
2017
0.00crore
Farmer applications insured
20172025
Since 2017
Added
+9.28 crore
2017
5.86 crore
2025
15.14 crore
Why it matters One failed monsoon or a price crash at the mandi can undo a farm family's year. Affordable insurance keeps them on their feet when crops fail, and an open online market lets them reach buyers beyond the local mandi for a fairer price.
- PMFBY: more than 92.46 crore farmer applications insured and over ₹2.06 lakh crore in claims paid, Kharif 2016 to Rabi 2025-26.
- For every ₹100 of premium paid by farmers, they have received about ₹500 in claims.
- Farmers pay a premium of only 2% for kharif and 1.5% for rabi crops.
- Non-loanee farmer applications rose from 20 lakh in 2014-15 to 522 lakh in 2024-25.
- e-NAM links 1,656 mandis across 23 states and 4 union territories (June 2026).
- 1.80 crore farmers, 2.72 lakh traders and 4,724 farmer producer organisations are registered on e-NAM (February 2026).
History
Notable milestone
Crop-insurance claims paid have passed ₹2.06 lakh crore, and farmer applications insured reached a record 15.14 crore in 2024-25, while the number of individual farmers enrolled rose from 3.17 crore in 2022-23 to 4.19 crore. e-NAM reached 1,000 mandis in May 2020 and 1,656 by March 2026, and inter-state trade on the platform began in January 2019.
How it works
Under PMFBY the farmer pays a small, fixed premium and the Centre and states pay the rest; since 2020 enrolment has been voluntary for all farmers. Technology is speeding up claims: YES-TECH uses remote sensing to estimate yields, and DigiClaim (2023) pays claims digitally. On e-NAM, produce is put up for online bidding, so traders from other markets and states can compete to buy it.
Outlook
Coverage is widening: West Bengal rejoined PMFBY from Kharif 2026 and Bihar returns from Rabi 2026-27, and YES-TECH yields now carry up to 50% weight in some states. On e-NAM, the Platform of Platforms (2022) links it with other agricultural marketplaces, widening the set of buyers every farmer can reach.
By the numbers
₹2.06 lakh crore+ crop-insurance claims paid (Kharif 2016 → Rabi 2025-26). 92.46 crore farmer applications insured. 5.86 → 15.14 crore applications a year (2016-17 → 2024-25). ~₹500 in claims per ₹100 of farmer premium. 1,656 e-NAM mandis, ₹4.84 lakh crore traded, 1.80 crore farmers registered. Sources: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Lok Sabha, PIB.
Data current to: as on 31 October 2025
Source: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (Lok Sabha reply, via PIB/Sansad) — PMFBY and RWBCIS farmer applications insured per year (crore), 2016-17 to 2024-25, as on 31 October 2025; claims total from PIB, August 2026. · link