CMFRI study finds poor insurance coverage for fisheries sector

KOCHI: A study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has found that the insurance protection for fishermen and other allied substances in fisheries sector is poor compared to other sub-sectors of agriculture.
The only insurance coverage in the sector is for accidents risks of fishermen. According to the study, the sector has received little attention either at the Central or State levels except for the presence of a few public insurance companies and cooperative bodies at the local level with limited scale of activity.
Apart from accident risk insurance coverage, insurance for loss and damage to fishing vessels, gear and damage to land and houses of fishermen are covered only at a limited scale across the country, including in Kerala.
“The study was conducted in five states. In fisheries sectors, fishermen have covered in accident insurance alone and they don’t have other insurance coverage as against sub sectors in agriculture,” said scientist Dr Shonoj Parappurath.
The study further says, no insurance policy is existed in the country for the risks such as large scale decline in stock of fish species, damage of sea cages, loss of fish crops and damage to farm structures. Accident risks of marine fishermen have a fair coverage in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu unlike in other states.
The study was conducted, both in the capture and culture sectors, in 14 fishing centres in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha and among the fish farmers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
It also found that the provision for vessel insurance, gear insurance and coastal asset insurance was quite low. Only one vessal of gear insurance reported from Kerala and a meagre 14% of fishermen from Tamil Nadu having reported enrolment to coastal asset insurance.