Farmers urged to enroll in insurance policies to protect investments against El Niño impacts
The recent climatic phenomenon, El Niño, is prompting the urgency for farmers to take immediate steps to seek insurance protection for their investments.
El Niño, a climatic phenomenon, is prompting farmers to urgently enroll in insurance policies to protect their investments from unpredictable weather conditions and crop diseases. Despite the availability of insurance policies like the Ghana Agriculture Insurance Pool, many farmers are not taking advantage of them to mitigate financial hardship. Experts predict that years ahead will see more intense weather conditions, further exposing uninsured farmers to potential losses.
The Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana is urging farmers to safeguard their investments against the harsh weather. Wilson Teye, Chairman of the Insurance Awareness Coordinators Group, pointed out challenges in rolling out and adopting these policies by farmers. These challenges include the lack of mechanized agriculture, dependence on weather conditions, and the need to educate farmers on the importance of insurance. However, efforts are being made to address agricultural insurance and protect farmers' produce.
Solomon Nii Amah-Kai Lartey, President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana, recommends that farmers secure their produce by obtaining insurance now, particularly with the emergence of El Niño. He also mentioned the availability of parametric insurance, which requires minimal assessment after a loss and allows for quick claims to be made. Mr. Lartey revealed that farmers and stakeholders along the agriculture value chain can take advantage of a dedicated insurance pool for subsidized products.
Bernard Ohemeng Baah, Deputy Commissioner of Insurance, emphasized the importance of insurance for agriculture and revealed that the National Insurance Commission is finalizing plans to roll out subsidized agriculture insurance for smallholder farmers. Due to a lack of data, insurance premiums tend to be high, which discourages many farmers from patronizing it.
Innovative approaches are being employed to deliver insurance at a lower cost, protecting Ghana's food production and ensuring that farming families are not exposed to weather-related shocks.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
