📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Vmsarunkumar
Agriculture
El Niño heat slashes flower output in Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh by 40%
✍️ thehindu.com
🗓 19 Sep 2026, 05:46 AM
👁 15
Severe El Niño‑induced heat has caused flowers in Kuppam to wilt by 8 a.m., cutting the region’s flower production by roughly 40 percent.
The flower belt around Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, traditionally a reliable supplier of cut flowers to markets across the south, is now facing an unprecedented heat wave linked to the El Niño phenomenon. Farmers report that blossoms begin to wilt as early as 8 a.m., a stark contrast to the usual full‑day freshness that commands premium prices.
Preliminary estimates from local growers’ associations indicate a drop of about 40 percent in total flower output compared with the same period last year. The loss threatens the livelihoods of thousands of small‑scale cultivators who depend on daily sales to wholesalers in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.
Experts attribute the rapid wilting to soaring daytime temperatures and reduced night‑time cooling, conditions amplified by the ongoing El Niño episode. Irrigation demands have surged, stretching already scarce water resources in the region.
State agricultural officials are monitoring the situation and have urged growers to adopt heat‑resilient varieties and adjust planting schedules where possible. However, they caution that a full recovery may depend on the broader climate pattern stabilising later in the season.
The downturn underscores the vulnerability of niche horticultural sectors to climate anomalies and highlights the need for adaptive strategies in India’s agrarian economy.
Preliminary estimates from local growers’ associations indicate a drop of about 40 percent in total flower output compared with the same period last year. The loss threatens the livelihoods of thousands of small‑scale cultivators who depend on daily sales to wholesalers in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.
Experts attribute the rapid wilting to soaring daytime temperatures and reduced night‑time cooling, conditions amplified by the ongoing El Niño episode. Irrigation demands have surged, stretching already scarce water resources in the region.
State agricultural officials are monitoring the situation and have urged growers to adopt heat‑resilient varieties and adjust planting schedules where possible. However, they caution that a full recovery may depend on the broader climate pattern stabilising later in the season.
The downturn underscores the vulnerability of niche horticultural sectors to climate anomalies and highlights the need for adaptive strategies in India’s agrarian economy.