Description:
The broad structure of Modified National
Agricultural Insurance Scheme (mNAIS), the main crop
insurance program in India, is technically sound and
appropriate in the context of India. The NAIS is based on an
indexed approach, where average crop yield of an insurance
unit, or IU, (i.e., block) is the index used. The insurance
is mandatory for all farmers that borrow from financial
institutions, though insurance cover is also available to
non-borrowers. The actual yield of the insured crop (as
measured by crop cutting experiments) in the IU is compared
to the threshold yield. If the former is lower than the
latter, all insured farmers in the IU are eligible for the
same rate of indemnity payout. Individual crop insurance
will have been prohibitively expensive, or even impossible,
in a country such as India with so many small and marginal
farms. Further, the method of using an 'area based
approach' has several other merits and, most
importantly, it mitigates moral hazard and adverse
selection. This report offers detailed analysis of a number
of technical and operational issues which should be
addressed if mNAIS is to be implemented. GOI is to be
complemented on its bold vision of the future of agriculture
insurance through modifying NAIS, an action which, if well
implemented, has the potential for significant economic and
political economy gains. The policy note World Bank (2010)
supported this vision and offered specific policy
recommendations for mNAIS, with reference to the Joint Group
report (2004). This technical report is intended as a
complement to World Bank (2010) and also to the previous
technical report World Bank (2007a), by offering detailed
technical analysis of a number of issues that will be
critical to the success of mNAIS.