Bihar Rajya Fasal Sahayata Yojana
A no-premium crop-loss payout — ₹7,500/hectare up to 20% loss, ₹10,000/hectare beyond that — for every registered farmer in a notified season.
Run by: Cooperative Department, Government of Bihar
- Loss up to 20%
- ₹7,500 / hectare
- Loss above 20%
- ₹10,000 / hectare
- Premium charged
- None
- Who can register
- Raiyat & non-raiyat farmers
- Payout cap
- 2 hectares / farmer
- Launched
- Kharif 2018
Overview
Bihar runs its own crop-loss compensation scheme rather than relying only on the central crop insurance scheme, and the difference that matters to a farmer is the premium: there isn't one. Every raiyat (landowning) or non-raiyat (cultivating tenant/sharecropper) farmer who registers for the season and whose notified crop suffers loss from drought, flood, hailstorm or other calamity gets paid, without having bought a policy first.
The scheme exists because Bihar walked away from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's cabinet found that in the season before the switch, the state and central governments had together paid about ₹800 crore in premium to insurance companies (₹400 crore each) — yet farmers received only around ₹150 crore back in claims. Calling that arrangement better for insurers than for farmers, the cabinet approved a state-funded, no-premium alternative from Kharif 2018, with the Cooperative Department's then Principal Secretary Atul Prasad overseeing the rollout.
Registration is season-wise and must be done before the crop is harvested — Kharif (roughly July–October) and Rabi (roughly November–April) each need a separate enrolment on the scheme portal. After the season, the Cooperative Department runs a Crop Cutting Experiment (CCE) in notified areas to measure the actual yield loss, and pays farmers in the affected panchayats by DBT into their Aadhaar-linked bank account — no individual damage survey or field visit is needed for each farmer. The payout is capped at 2 hectares per farmer, so the maximum a single farmer can receive is ₹15,000 in the up-to-20%-loss band or ₹20,000 in the above-20% band. In 2019, the scheme's second year, the state paid out ₹260.64 crore to more than 3.5 lakh farmers.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- ₹7,500 per hectare when crop loss is assessed up to 20%.
- ₹10,000 per hectare when crop loss is assessed above 20%.
- No premium is collected from the farmer at any stage.
- Both landowning (raiyat) and cultivating tenant/sharecropper (non-raiyat) farmers can register and claim.
- Payment is by DBT straight into the Aadhaar-linked bank account once the panchayat is notified as loss-affected.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer cultivating notified crops in Bihar, raiyat or non-raiyat
- Registered for the specific season (Kharif or Rabi) before the enrolment window closes
- Registered on the Agriculture Department's DBT portal, with the farmer registration number carried into the scheme application
- Aadhaar-linked bank account for the DBT payout
Not covered
- Farmers who did not enrol for that particular season before the deadline
- Crops or blocks not covered under the season's notification
- Applications without a valid Aadhaar-linked bank account
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Bihar farmer registration number (DBT Agriculture)
- Aadhaar card, linked to the bank account
- Land record — LPC/rasid for raiyat, self-declaration for non-raiyat
- Geo-tagged plot/crop details submitted at registration
- Bank passbook
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Register on the DBT Agriculture portal first
A valid farmer registration number on dbtagriculture.bihar.gov.in is needed before applying for the scheme itself.
- 2
Enrol for the season on the BRFSY portal
Apply separately for Kharif or Rabi at pacsonline.bih.nic.in before sowing/the enrolment deadline, entering crop and plot details.
- 3
CCE assessment and DBT payout
If your area is notified as loss-affected, a Crop Cutting Experiment measures the loss, and the matching per-hectare amount is paid directly to your bank account.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For a registration problem, a wrong CCE assessment, or a delayed payout, first call the Cooperative Department's scheme helpline at 0612-2200693 or the toll-free number 1800-3454-110, or write to the department at Vikas Bhawan (New Secretariat), 2nd Floor, Patna – 800015.
- If that does not resolve it, escalate through Bihar Lok Shikayat, the state's public grievance redressal system set up under the Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act, 2015 — file online at lokshikayat.bihar.gov.in or call the toll-free 1800-345-6284. Complaints must legally be resolved within 60 working days, with a two-level appeal if not.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay any premium for this scheme?
No. Bihar Rajya Fasal Sahayata Yojana does not charge any premium — every eligible registered farmer in a loss-affected, notified area gets paid.
I cultivate land I do not own. Can I register?
Yes. Non-raiyat (cultivating tenant/sharecropper) farmers can register alongside raiyat (landowning) farmers, with the required self-declaration.
Do I need to file a separate damage claim after a flood or drought?
No individual claim form is needed. Once your panchayat is notified as affected, the Cooperative Department's Crop Cutting Experiment assesses the loss and pays registered farmers automatically by DBT.
Is registration a one-time process?
No — registration is season-wise. You must enrol separately for Kharif and for Rabi each year, before that season's enrolment window closes.
Why does Bihar run its own scheme instead of the central PMFBY?
In the season before the switch, the state and central governments together paid about ₹800 crore in premium to insurance companies, but farmers got back only around ₹150 crore in claims. Bihar's cabinet judged that a bad deal for farmers and moved to a state-funded, no-premium scheme from Kharif 2018 instead.
Is there a limit on how much land I can claim compensation for?
Yes. The payout is capped at 2 hectares per farmer, so the maximum any one farmer can receive is ₹15,000 in the up-to-20%-loss band or ₹20,000 in the above-20% band, even if their actual holding is larger.
How can I check whether my payment has come through?
The Cooperative Department's e-Sahkari portal has a payment-status checker where you can look up your application using your registration details once your panchayat's Crop Cutting Experiment results are processed.
Facts checked against esahkari.bihar.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.