A powerful storm, Cyclone Montha, struck Andhra Pradesh in October 2025, leaving tens of thousands of hectares of farmland damaged and farmers scrambling to salvage what remains of their harvests.
Scale of the damage: Officials estimate the storm wrecked about 45,040 hectares (over 110,000 acres) of rice paddies, 985 hectares (over 2,400 acres) of blackgram, 288.2 hectares (over 710 acres) of groundnut and 43 hectares (over 100 acres) of cotton. Local growers say some fields have seen yield declines as high as 70%.
Government assistance has been announced for farmers who suffer crop losses of 33% or greater, but many producers remain uncertain whether aid will be sufficient or timely. Continued rains are disrupting salvage operations and increase the risk of further loss.
Broader Causes and Consequences
Farmers and experts link this destruction to shifting extreme weather patterns. Higher atmospheric pollution can intensify storm systems, while the resulting humidity increases the risk of fungal and other crop diseases that further damage yields. These climate- and pollution-driven trends also manifest as floods, droughts, heat waves and wildfires — all of which reduce agricultural output and strain food supply chains.
India’s agricultural sector has already experienced disruptions to a wide variety of produce, including lemons, oranges, ginger, onions, tomatoes, cashews and mangoes. Those losses have contributed to rising consumer prices in local and national markets.
India has made notable gains in expanding solar energy — an important step toward cutting emissions from power generation — but observers say the country needs to move away from coal more quickly to address the root causes of increasingly destructive weather.
"Now we will wait for 10 days before harvesting the crop," said local farmer Maganti Nagaraju, quoted in The Hindu. "In the meantime, if it rains again, the damage and expenses will only increase."
Global Context
The problem extends beyond India: similar climate-driven declines in harvests have been reported in Japan, South Korea, the United States and England. That international pattern underscores how extreme weather events and slow progress on emission reductions can ripple through global food supplies and prices.
What farmers need now: Faster and more targeted relief, improved weather-resilient farming practices, investments in drainage and storage infrastructure, and climate policies that accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to reduce future risks.
