The Centre has said the Prime Minister's Fasal Bima Yojana has got encouraging response from farmers across the country. Responding to supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha today, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh said, spices like tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber are also being provided cover under the crop insurance scheme on a pilot basis under the aegis of the Spices Board since September 2016. <br/><br/>He informed the House that states are empowered to select the implementing insurance agencies through open bidding, adding a total of five public sector and ten private insurance agencies are shortlisted for the scheme. Minister asked states to issue necessary notifications well in time so that the crop insurance coverage could be availed by all the farmers.