Cyclone Montha Damages Cotton in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

31-Oct-2025 04:37 PM

Hyderabad. The severe cyclonic storm, Montha, brought torrential rains accompanied by strong winds to several districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, severely damaging the standing cotton crop. Damage to paddy, soybean, and maize crops is also being reported.

Cotton growers in Telangana are already facing a difficult situation, as excessive rainfall not only damaged the crop but also degraded the quality of the cotton bolls and significantly increased their moisture content.

Heavy rains in August and September dashed the hopes of cotton growers. Now, unseasonal rains in October have further exacerbated the woes.

The torrential rains in Warangal district caused two-fold damage to the cotton crop. Not only was the standing crop damaged, but the cotton bales brought to the markets for sale were also damaged. The waterlogging discolored the cotton.

Due to the moisture content in cotton increasing much beyond the permissible or approved level, farmers may face great difficulty in selling it at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

According to initial estimates, kharif crops on 1.81 lakh hectares have been damaged due to storm and rain in Telangana, which includes cotton on 61 thousand hectares and paddy on 1.14 lakh hectares along with other crops. Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, the damage to crops worth Rs 820 crore is also estimated due to the cyclone.

The government agency - Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) is insisting that only cotton having moisture content between 8 to 12 percent will be procured, whereas in Telangana, cotton moisture content is being seen up to 20 percent.