India to offer crop insurance against bad weather
Authorities in India are setting up crop insurance aimed at tea farmers in order to mitigate the effects of erratic weather conditions. Indian Tea Board and Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited seek to develop an insurance scheme to cover tea plantations against risks of heavy showers, droughts, hailstorms, frost and snow fall. As there are large variations in weather patterns across India, the group is now compiling nationwide weather data to determine thresholds and premiums for each region. Experts say that tea needs specific insurance features, because, contrary to most other crops, its price depends greatly on quality and any damage to tea bushes may lead to long-term losses that are difficult to assess.