NEGARA ~ An agreement was drawn up last Wednesday between Regent of Jembrana Gede Winasa and head of marketing at Bumida Pusat Insurance H. Basri to insure 6,425 hectares of ricefields, an official said.

According to Basri, the insurance policy guarantees compensation for any rice crops, which might fail due to pest attacks, droughts or floods.

He said farmers of the rice paddies who conformed to all the necessary criteria would be able to make an insurance claim if their crop totalled less than 25 percent of the standard six tons per hectare determined in the agreement.

“Of course there are conditions to this insurance policy, such as the type of rice planted and the type of irrigation used,” Basri said.

According to Winasa, when farmers lost crops, through no fault of their own, there was no one there to help them.

“If a farmer’s crops fail, who wants to help? Banks are having their own problems,” he said.

He said Jembrana rarely faced failed harvests, but the possibility was still very real.

“We must be aware of possibilities that could damage the agricultural system and take care of the small people, like farmers,” Winasa said.