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A husbandman looking astatine his cauliflower harvest damaged owed to Cyclone Montha astatine Penamaluru adjacent Vijayawada. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri
Cyclone Montha has dealt a terrible stroke to cauliflower farmers crossed Andhra Pradesh, peculiarly successful Krishna district, damaging lasting crops and pushing cultivators into distress. Recent rains nether the cyclone’s power caused important harm to cauliflower fields successful parts of Penamaluru mandal, with respective tenant farmers reporting dense losses. The 90-day crop, which had promised bully returns this season, was deed during the important curd enactment stage. Farmers are estimated to person cultivated cauliflower connected astir 100 acres successful Krishna district, mostly successful and astir Penamaluru. Officials from the Horticulture Department are assessing the losses suffered by farmers successful Krishna and different parts of the State. Cauliflower is typically grown arsenic a wintertime crop, with farmers investing ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 per acre and expecting returns of ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh nether mean conditions. But Cyclone Montha has upended those expectations this year. Farmers specified arsenic Sk. Basha and Sheik Mastan Vali from Chodavaram said cultivation costs ranged betwixt ₹45,000 and ₹70,000 per acre, depending connected tenancy charges. “If the harvest turns retired well, we gain astir ₹1.5 lakh per acre. But aft this rain, we’re not definite if we tin adjacent retrieve ₹40,000,” said Mr. Basha, who grew cauliflower aft ladies’ digit and plans to sow maize next. Mastan Vali, a tenant husbandman who leased 1.5 acres, reported losses of astir ₹1 lakh owed to rainfall damage. “We proviso some to section shops and wholesale markets. The output and prices were promising this year, but the rains ruined everything,” helium said. Another farmer, Dasari Seetaiah from Penamaluru, said astir 30 to 40 acres successful his colony were nether cauliflower cultivation, with each husbandman owning betwixt 1 and 3 acres. “On average, 1 acre yields 15,000 to 16,000 flowers. Some adjacent get up to 20,000 erstwhile conditions are good,” helium explained. Cauliflower is usually grown aft turmeric oregon ladies’ digit and followed by maize. Tenant farmers wage astir ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 per acre annually arsenic rent. The harvest mostly fetches an income of ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh per acre, depending connected output and marketplace rates. District Horticulture Officer J. Jyothi said astir 90.96 hectares of vegetables were cultivated this play successful the district, with 100 acres nether cauliflower yielding astir 25 tonnes per hectare. Farmers program to instrumentality up the Namdhari hybrid assortment for the 2nd crop, targeting the January–February market. An appraisal of losses owed to the cyclone is nether way. “Curd (flower) enactment should beryllium supra 33%, different it won’t beryllium counted arsenic a loss, arsenic farmers tin instrumentality up different harvest immediately,” Ms. Jyothi said. Most cauliflower is grown during the rabi (winter) play from September to February, erstwhile the clime is cooler. Some aboriginal and off-season varieties are besides cultivated to conscionable year-round demand. Many farmers are present preparing to till their lands again for maize cultivation.
Published - November 12, 2025 07:51 p.m. IST
