Agricultural insurance: Producers of Maule blueberries receive $ 160 million for hail damage
Around $ 160 million pesos received in total 30 small farmers of Parral and Retiro whose blueberry crops were affected by heavy rains and hail that hit the Maule Region last November. The delivery was made in a ceremony organized by the Seremi de Agricultura, the Institute of Agricultural Development (INDAP) and Agroseguros in the commune of Parral.
The affected producers, who had Agricultural Insurance against climatic risks, were able to recover their investment by making the claim of their claim effective before the insurance company. In this opportunity 30 was compensated for this particular event, who depending on the area insured and the level of damage in the crop received compensation that in some cases reached $ 18 million.
The delivery of compensation was attended by Mayor Pablo Milad; the national director of INDAP, Carlos Recondo; the executive director of Agroseguros, Ricardo Prado; the governor of Linares, María Claudia Jorquera; the Seremi de Agricultura, Carolina Torres; the deputy Ignacio Urrutia, the regional councilors Patricio Ojeda and Rafael Ramírez and the regional director of INDAP, Óscar Muñoz, in addition to the compensated farmers.
Mayor Milad called on farmers to trust Agricultural Insurance as an effective climate risk management tool. He also stressed that "it has a government subsidy that is very significant and thanks to it today our blueberry producers have been able to recover a significant part of their investment and also cancel their credit commitments with INDAP."
"I want to tell people to start believing. There is imminent climate change and we do not know what can happen over time, that is not controllable. That is why insurance gives more confidence and confidence to the producer at the time of cultivation and that is why the word trust is so important in something that responds, as it has been proven today, "added Milad.
For his part, the executive director of Agroseguros, Ricardo Prado, stressed the importance of having this type of tools: "Thanks to the insurance contract to cover climate damage or events of nature, typical of agricultural activity, farmers they are more competitive and reach higher levels of production. "
He reported that compensated farmers "paid only 2% of the cost of the policy, since the insurance has a significant subsidy from the State. As Agroseguros we channel our efforts in promoting market development through these insurances, since in these times, where climatic events are more recurrent and unexpected, farmers must take measures and have a mechanism to mitigate the risks that allow them to its continuity in the sector ".
The national director of INDAP, Carlos Recondo, said it is important to highlight the properties of agricultural insurance. "This is an instrument that works, because when a disaster like the hailstones of last year occurred, the farmers being covered receive an important compensation that allows them to continue their productive processes, and that return is always much greater than the aid that from the State we can deliver them. Here is clear the benefit that is achieved, "he said.
Hernán Villagra, a farmer in the La Orilla sector who was compensated, said that with the payment of the compensation he feels much calmer and expects to continue working in the field. "I took the insurance convinced that I could serve, but I never thought that such damage could happen. This year, if we're alive, I'll take it again. "
Author: Claudia Torres - Maule
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