Capt. Brijesh Chowta, Dakshina Kannada MP, on Tuesday urged the Union government to undertake a comprehensive review of the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) for perennial plantation crops such as arecanut, coconut, cocoa and spices, to ensure that insurance coverage accurately reflects the risks faced by farmers.In a matter raised under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha, Capt. Chowta highlighted that perennial plantation crops face risks that are distinct from seasonal field crops. He pointed out that prolonged rainfall, high humidity, disease incidence, drainage conditions and local microclimates can cause progressive crop damage even when a single weather threshold is not breached at the nearest reference weather station.Capt. Chowta emphasised that growers therefore require insurance products whose notified units, weather stations and policy term sheets adequately reflect the specific risk profile of plantation belts.Review of RWBCIS frameworkHe urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to commission a joint actuarial and agronomic review of the RWBCIS framework for plantation crops.The MP called for the review to examine key aspects including the density and placement of weather stations, size of notified units, rainfall and humidity triggers, duration and sequencing of adverse weather conditions, crop-stage sensitivity, risk basis, sum insured and timelines for claim settlement.He also stressed the need for the participation of ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, insurers, the Karnataka government and representative grower organisations in the review process.Capt. Chowta further proposed that revised insurance term sheets be piloted in select coastal and Malnad districts before wider adoption. He also called for the publication of comparisons between actual field-level losses and trigger-based insurance payouts, along with model notification templates and clear timelines for States to include suitable plantation crops under the scheme.Highlighting the need for a more responsive insurance framework, Capt. Chowta said the objective should not be to guarantee compensation for every loss, but to ensure that the insurance mechanism measures the risks it is intended to cover and provides transparent and timely protection to plantation farmers, a statement from his office said.Capt. Chowta expressed hope that a scientific and evidence-based review of the plantation-crop insurance framework would reduce risk, improve the effectiveness of weather-based insurance and provide more reliable protection to farmers in coastal and Malnad regions. Published - August 11, 2026 07:26 pm IST