Sindh government has decided to introduce a crop insurance program to help farmers recover from the damage caused by potential natural disasters, diseases, pests, and climate change. The announcement was made during a key meeting chaired by the Minister for Agriculture, Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mehr.
The meeting also included Secretary Agriculture Sohail Ahmed Qureshi, Deputy Secretary Ahmed Ali Shaikh, and Country Head insurance Advisors, Wadood Durrani, who briefed the Minister on the proposed insurance initiative. Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mehr emphasized the importance of crop insurance to mitigate the losses caused by floods, rains, heat, pests, and other factors.
“Our effort is to ensure that farmers benefit from crop insurance, which will be made available through the Benazir Hari Card initiative,” he said. The Sindh government will launch a pilot project for crop insurance in two districts, Larkana and Ghotki, beginning in the Kharif 2025 season.
If successful, the program will expand to other districts, including those for sugarcane and other crops. Insurance Advisors will support farmers under the Area Yield Index Insurance model. Sohail Ahmed Qureshi highlighted that the Sindh government will provide funding to the insurance company, with Advisors offering technical support.
