India, July 30 -- New Delhi Insurance firms owe sums running into several thousands of crore to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a flagship state-run crop insurance scheme, despite a series of steps to ensure timely compensation, Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Claims totaling Rs.5405 crore across several seasons, or nearly 6% of overall applications for payouts, were pending under the scheme until the kharif or summer-sown season of 2024, according data cited in reply to a question by Hanuman Beniwal, an MP from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party.

Disputes between state governments and insurance firms participating in the crop insurance programme, ...