When 45-year-old farmer Tashi Tenzin saw the alert about Cyclone Montha barrelling towards Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, he was in Berhampur, about 70km from his village in southern Odisha’s Gajapati district.
Alarmed, he rushed back to the Chandragiri Tibetan settlement to save the maize crop standing in his fields.
“I had to save the crop I’ve raised on 70 acres. It’s my everything,” Tashi told The Telegraph. “When I learnt that the cyclone was around 270km away and closing in on the Andhra coast, I immediately headed home.”
Tashi’s anxiety mirrors that of hundreds of farmers across southern Odisha, expected to bear the brunt of Montha, which is likely to make landfall at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Once it crosses the coast, the storm is expected to bring torrential rain and gusty winds, threatening crops ready for harvest.
“Crops suffer the most in such situations,” Tashi said, adding that his maize was almost ready to be cut. “We had planned to harvest in November, but now there is no time.”
Tashi Tenzin in his maize field at Chandragiri in Gajapati district on Monday
The government has placed Gajapati and seven other districts under the red zone, warning of heavy rain and strong winds over the next 36 hours.
“I only pray we are spared the impact of the winds, which damage the crops the most,” Tashi said.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Montha is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, around Kakinada, during Tuesday evening or night as a severe cyclonic storm, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90–100kmph, gusting to 110kmph.
As the cyclone moved steadily towards land, Tashi and others in the Tibetan settlement prayed to the Buddha for protection.
“Let our area be spared the wrath of nature and our crops be saved,” he said.
Tashi’s parents, Tibetan refugees, arrived in Chandragiri in 1963 under India’s resettlement plan.
Nearly 2,600 Tibetan refugees were rehabilitated in Gajapati, and the settlement is now known as “Mini Tibet” for its vibrant culture and monasteries.
Surrounded by dense forest and once cut off by poor roads, residents struggled for years to survive. “For our livelihood, we took up farming,” said Tashi, a father of four daughters.
“Each family was given five acres of land to cultivate, which cannot be sold or purchased. Over time, we took land on lease to expand maize cultivation. On each acre, we get 15–17 quintals of corn, which we sell in Bhubaneswar and other cities. It gives us good money, but the cyclone may shatter our hopes this year.”
Maize cultivation is not confined to Chandragiri alone. Southern districts such as Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Rayagada, Ganjam and Koraput account for most of the state’s maize output.
Though rice remains the dominant crop, many farmers are switching to corn, including the more profitable sweet corn, for its higher yield and better returns. These southern districts together contribute over 91 per cent of Odisha’s maize production.
Chandragiri panchayat sarpanch Rajanikanta Pradhan said the recent rainfall had already affected maize crops.
“Insect attacks had begun, and now the heavy rain and winds will further break the farmers’ backbone. Rain has already started in our area,” Pradhan said.
Farmers cultivating paddy and other rabi crops are also anxious about the approaching storm.
Meanwhile, the state government said it was ready to face any eventualities in the next 36 hours. People from vulnerable areas have been moved to safer locations, and schools will remain closed for three days in eight red zone districts — Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Rayagada, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur.
A total of 140 rescue teams, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and fire services, have been deployed. A yellow warning has also been issued for Puri and 15 other districts. In Puri and Khordha, schools will remain closed for two days — Tuesday and Wednesday.