Cyclone Murasu rain threat puts Telangana paddy farmers on alert

HYDERABAD | 02-11-2026 : Paddy farmers in Telangana are bracing for rain associated with Cyclone Murasu, fearing damage to standing crops and higher harvesting expenses at a time of relatively strong market prices. Agriculture Department officials have alerted growers and directed local officials to provide protective resources, including tarpaulin sheets, according to The Hindu.

The newspaper reported rain forecasts for various Telangana districts from November 2 to 4, with paddy at stages ranging from pre-flowering to harvest. Cotton approaching harvest could also be affected. The concerns centre on potential damage; the reports do not establish the extent of any crop losses from Murasu.

Heavy rain forecasts cover several districts

According to The Hindu, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy were forecast to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on November 2.

Siasat separately reported a forecast by local weather enthusiast T Balaji for heavy rain from November 3 to 5 in Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Nagarkurnool, Mahabubabad and Bhadradri-Kothagudem. That forecast also indicated moderate rain in Hyderabad during the same period.

The two reports give different forecast windows and district lists. Balaji’s outlook, as carried by Siasat, is not presented as an India Meteorological Department forecast and should be distinguished from the agency’s cyclone projections.

Citing the IMD, Siasat reported that a Bay of Bengal deep depression intensified into Cyclone Murasu on November 1. The outlet said the storm was expected to strengthen and make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh on the morning of November 3, with winds of 100–110 kmph and gusts reaching 120 kmph. These remain forecast conditions rather than confirmed landfall observations.

Higher prices face a harvesting risk

The Hindu reported that farmers were receiving ₹3,500–₹4,500 per quintal for fresh paddy, compared with around ₹2,900 earlier for dried produce, including the minimum support price and a ₹500 bonus for fine rice. Rain threatens those returns through additional harvesting, drying and labour requirements.

Donthu Rambabu, joint secretary of the Telangana Rythu Sangham, told The Hindu that harvesting machines cost ₹2,500–₹3,000 an hour to hire. He explained that soaked, drooping panicles in waterlogged fields could turn an hour’s harvesting work on an acre into a two-hour job, doubling the machine-hire expense.

Farmers also face the need to dry wet grain, which can reduce its weight, and employ labour to drain water from affected fields, the newspaper reported. Sangham vice-president M Sudhakar Reddy said discoloured grain fetches lower prices.

A farmer from Lalapuram village in Khammam’s Konijerla mandal told The Hindu that nearby crops ranged from pre-flowering to panicle formation and were vulnerable to wind and rain. The report identified crops at the pre-flowering stage as potentially facing greater damage.

Officials arrange protection for harvested grain

Agriculture officials told The Hindu that alerts had been issued and instructions given to supply resources such as tarpaulins to protect harvested stocks. Mahabubnagar District Marketing Officer G Balamani said some farmers were already using tarpaulin sheets to dry grain instead of spreading it directly on roads.

The newspaper also reported that relatively little produce was reaching paddy procurement centres because private buyers were purchasing directly from farms amid increased demand. For growers with crops still standing or grain awaiting drying, the reported rain forecasts coincide with both stronger prices and the prospect of additional costs.

Sources: The Hindu; Siasat.