Mumbai, Jun 18 (Reporter) Payment of crop insurance for Kharif season-2024 in Maharashtra under Pradhan Mantri Pik Bima Yojana has started from Tuesday through the government portal, informed Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde. For Kharif 2024, 14 crops have been included in the insurance scheme, he said. Crops covered under the scheme include rice (paddy), sorghum, millet, ragi (ragee), maize, tur, mung bean, urad, soybean, groundnut, sesame, kale, cotton and onion, he informed and said that farmers in notified areas can participate. In the notified area, all farmers (including clan or tenant farmers) growing notified crops are eligible to participate in the scheme, he said. Last year, a record 1.70 crore farmers participated in the scheme by paying their crop insurance through the Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme, the minister recalled. The deadline for payment of insurance for these crops is July 15, he said and asked farmers to pay insurance for their crops before the deadline. While participation in the scheme will be voluntary for crop loan and non-loan farmers, lease farmers will be required to upload registered lease agreements on the crop insurance portal, Munde said. Under this scheme, farmers should insure only crop that they have planted in the field, he said. If the farm does not have an insured crop, farmers will be deprived of the insurance compensation, he added...////...