In New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh Ministers Nara Lokesh and Anitha met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and explained the severe destruction caused by Cyclone Montha on the 28th and 29th of last month. The ministers highlighted that the cyclone brought strong winds, heavy rainfall and widespread flooding, affecting several villages and large stretches of farmland across the state.
They informed the Union Minister that Montha Cyclone damaged 3,109 villages across 443 mandals in 24 districts. Nearly 9.53 lakh people were directly affected. Farmlands were submerged, rivers overflowed, and sea waves intensified, causing heavy damage to agriculture, infrastructure and essential public services.
The ministers stated that continuous rains and long periods of crop submergence hit agriculture the hardest in coastal and delta regions. Around 1.61 lakh hectares of crops including paddy, maize, cotton, groundnut, red gram, millets and others were damaged. About 3.27 lakh farmers suffered major losses, and the estimated crop loss stands at 4.36 lakh metric tonnes. Irrigation structures such as ponds, canals and rural roads were also badly damaged, deepening the crisis for farmers.
Horticulture crops too suffered extensive destruction. Around 6,250 hectares of orchards and gardens — including banana, papaya, coconut, turmeric, chilli, vegetables, flowers and other horticulture crops — were affected, with nearly 33% of the area severely damaged. Support structures such as shade nets, nurseries, storage units, farm ponds and small water resources were destroyed, leaving farmers without stable livelihoods.
Lokesh and Anitha informed the Centre that the state government responded swiftly by evacuating people, setting up relief camps, deploying SDRF and NDRF teams and conducting rapid damage assessments through various departments. These timely efforts helped reduce human loss and ensured uninterrupted support to affected families. They urged the Union Minister to extend immediate central assistance to help the state recover and support the distressed farming community.