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Basis Risk and Tariff Zoning in Area-yield Index Insurance for Wheat: Evidence From Surkhandarya Region, Uzbekistan

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Drawing on district-level wheat yield data for the 14 districts of Surkhandarya Region over 2005–2024 (254 observations), this paper quantifies the basis risk of an area-yield index insurance product and proposes a model of territorial tariff zones. The simulation results show that the regional index captures only 11 of the 41 loss events recorded in the districts (27%) and achieves a hedging effectiveness of 7.6%, whereas the district index achieves 51.5%. Although a weather index based on the number of hot days in spring is statistically significant in a panel model (p = 0.013), it exhibits negative hedging effectiveness at every trigger level. For a 10% deductible, two tariff zones are identified: a pure premium rate of 1.14% for the stable zone and 8.29% for the high-risk zone. The proposed mechanism reduces the premium expenditure of farmers in the stable zone from 148.3 thousand to 52.6 thousand UZS per hectare.
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225777919
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