TITLE:
Research on Meteorological Index Insurance for Tea Frost Damage in Mingshan, China
AUTHORS:
Meng Yuan, Xiaoshuang Li, Wenbo Gao, Xin Gao, Yaping Wu
KEYWORDS:
Tea Frost Damage, Weather Index Insurance, Mingshan District, Extreme Minimum Temperature
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.17 No.8,
August
31,
2026
ABSTRACT: Tea is one of the most important economic crops in China. Mingshan in Sichuan Province is one of the earliest regions with documented history of tea cultivation, consumption, and trade, possessing high representativeness. Spring low-temperature frost represents the primary meteorological disaster threatening tea production in Mingshan District, Ya’an City, Sichuan Province, severely affecting both spring tea yield and quality while causing substantial income losses for tea farmers. Based on meteorological observation data and actual tea production conditions in Mingshan District, this study systematically analyzed the characteristics of tea frost damage and the relationship between extreme daily minimum temperature and tea yield reduction rate. The Frost Integrated Index (FII) for Mingshan District was constructed, an index-loss model was established, and a tea frost weather index insurance product was designed. The results indicate that: 1) During the tea growing season, frost damage in this region occurs predominantly between February-April, with March exhibiting the highest frequency of extreme low-temperature events; 2) The frost integrated index, with extreme daily minimum temperature as the core indicator combined with date weighting coefficient and elevation correction coefficient, can effectively characterize the impact of different frost grades on tea production; 3) The index-loss model indicates that when the extreme minimum temperature drops to a level where the Frost Damage Integrated Index (FII) exceeds 25, the comprehensive economic loss rate of tea can reach over 75%; 4) The designed insurance product adopts an FII value of ≥5 as the payout trigger threshold, with six indemnity grades established. The weather index insurance operates under a “pay-upon-trigger” mechanism, which eliminates the need for on-site survey and loss adjustment. This approach can effectively reduce moral hazard, adverse selection, and claims costs while improving claims efficiency. This study provides technical support for tea industry risk management in Mingshan District and offers a reference for the refined design of weather index insurance products in tea-producing regions of Southwest China.