“Milma, the Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, has introduced a new insurance scheme for dairy farmers on Wednesday.
The scheme aims to provide compensation to farmers who suffer economic loss due to reduced milk production in summer.
One of the farmers who enrolled in the scheme is Muralidharan from Palakkad district. He owns seven cows that usually produce 85 litres of milk per day, earning him around ₹ 3,700.
But in summer, when the temperature rises, his cows produce only 65 litres per day, resulting in a loss of nearly ₹ 1,000 per day. His expenses for feed and other inputs remain unchanged.
“I am glad to join this scheme. It is very encouraging for farmers like me,” Muralidharan told .
Another farmer, Benny John, said that his income from milk has dropped from ₹ 900 to ₹ 700 per day in summer. He spends ₹ 360 per day on feed. He hopes that the insurance will help him recover some of his losses.
The scheme is launched by Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd (AIC). The scheme does not require farmers to file claims or wait for payment.
The compensation is based on the temperature limit fixed for each district and the number of consecutive days the temperature exceeds it.
The payment is done automatically using weather data from IMD’s satellite. Farmers do not have to inform the insurance company,” Dr PR Prasidha, State Head AIC of India told.”