ZSIC General Insurance Company has said small-scale and commercial farmers in the country should embrace crop insurance to prevent loss in case of drought, fire or other calamities.
ZSIC GeneralInsurance Company corporate agriculture specialist Emmanuel Malata said the farmers should  make use of the
agriculture policy designed to adequately cover for loss of potential crop yields.
Speaking in an interview at the just-ended Agritech Expo held in Chisamba, Mr Malata said  crop insurance was necessary
considering risk factors farmers were normally confronted with.
Mr  Malata said farmers  should invest their money in insuring crops in case of drought, fire, floods and hailstorm, among  others, adding that malicious  damage inflicted on crops was another key feature  included  in the  policy.
He said the policy also covered the damage caused  by chemicals that sprayed on adjoining property as well as damage caused by straying livestock from other farms.
“We  have also  stretched cover to provide a replanting subsidy for hailstone damage caused to the crop during the emergence stage of growth but as a company  we are unable  to cover for intentional damage caused by farmers, theft or crop  that has failed to  be harvested,” he said.
He said  the  introduction of the crop policy was another way of encouraging increased production without worrying about risks hence contributing to the country’s  food basket.
He said the company would engage  the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) with a view to reaching out to many farmers  over the introduction of the agriculture  policy.