DAVIS, Calif., August 29, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is introducing a new crop insurance policy for Kiwifruit farmers in California. The new Kiwifruit policy will provide coverage against yield losses for fresh varieties of commercially grown kiwifruit under irrigated practices. The new policy, administered by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), is available in 12 counties in California, and is effective for the 2024 and succeeding crop years.

“One of the many things that RMA has in common with agricultural producers is the shared desire for them to have the best risk management tools available to them,” said Jeffrey Yasui, Director of RMA’s Regional Office in Davis covering Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. “That’s why we are continually looking for ways to bring new resources to the producer, like this new Kiwifruit policy. It will offer this sector of our agricultural community—who account for ninety eight percent of all U.S. kiwifruit production—the opportunity to insure their operation in ways they could not before.”

This new Kiwifruit insurance policy will provide meaningful insurance protection against adverse weather and other naturally occurring perils where federal insurance was not previously available. The covered perils include adverse weather conditions, fire, earthquake, volcanic eruption, failure of irrigation water supply, insects, plant disease, and insufficient number of chilling hours. Coverage levels between 50 and 85 percent will be available along with catastrophic coverage.

The sales closing date is November 20, 2023, for the 2024 crop year.

More Information

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov. 

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