Cyclone Arnab floods 70,900 hectares of paddy; Naidu seeks central teams

Cyclone Arnab has inundated paddy fields across about 70,900 hectares in Andhra Pradesh and damaged horticulture crops on about 10,450 hectares, according to preliminary estimates that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the storm crossed the coast near Yanam and Kakinada. In the letter, reported on October 28, 2026, Naidu asked the Centre to send inter-ministerial teams to assess the damage and to continue central help for relief and restoration. Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Anakapalli and Krishna districts are among the worst affected. The Chief Minister said no deaths had been reported so far.

The cyclone arrived at the worst point in the farming calendar for coastal Andhra. The Godavari and Krishna delta districts are among the state's main rice bowls, and much of the kharif paddy crop was close to harvest in late October. Before landfall, both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha had told farmers to cut mature paddy early and move grain to safe storage. Fields that could not be harvested in time now sit under water.

Inundation does not always mean a total loss, but it often means one. Paddy that is ready to harvest can lodge, or fall over, under strong winds, and grain left standing in water can sprout or rot within days. Even when a crop is saved, the quality falls, which lowers the price farmers receive and can push the grain below procurement standards. Horticulture crops such as banana and vegetables, which are common in Konaseema and the Godavari districts, are especially vulnerable to wind.

The request for central teams is the first step towards compensation. Under India's disaster relief system, states pay immediate relief from their State Disaster Response Fund, and the Centre can release extra money from the National Disaster Response Fund after its teams assess the damage. Farmers' input subsidies, a form of compensation per hectare for crop loss, depend on these assessments. Farmers covered by crop insurance will also need to report losses quickly.

The absence of deaths so far is significant for a storm of this strength and reflects large-scale evacuation in advance. The economic losses, however, are only starting to be counted, and the state says the full extent will become clear after detailed field surveys.

Short-term: Farmers in the delta districts face losses on a crop that was close to harvest, and urgent work is needed to drain fields and save what can be saved. Damaged roads and fallen trees are slowing access to villages.

Long-term: Crop losses could reduce paddy arrivals at procurement centres in coastal Andhra this season and add to farm debt. Compensation will depend on central and state assessments and on insurance claims.

Who is affected: Paddy and horticulture farmers in Konaseema, Kakinada, East and West Godavari, Anakapalli and Krishna districts; farm labourers who depend on the harvest; rice millers and traders in the region; and families whose houses were damaged.

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