Kuppam’s flowers now wilt by 8 a.m.: El Niño scorches Andhra’s flower basket, cuts output by 40%
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh's Kuppam region are reporting a 40% drop in flower output due to extreme heat and severe rainfall deficits linked to El Niño. The flowers are wilting prematurely, causing significant financial losses for small-scale growers.
Why it matters
This highlights the direct impact of climate change and extreme weather patterns on the livelihoods of small-scale agricultural workers in India.
For 30 years, Munemma’s day began at 4 a.m., among the kanakambara ( Crossandra infundibuliformis ) plants on her acre at Rallabaduguru village. This March, she woke to a heat that had already settled over the field , and to flowers that had given up before the day had begun.
“The delicate flowers wilted on the plants themselves, unable to bear the intense heat,” says Munemma, 56, a small farmer in Shantipuram mandal, in Andhra Pradesh’s flower basket at the tri-junction with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu . “Usually, kanakambara, delicate as it is, holds its freshness on the plant till 11 a.m. But this year, since March, the flowers started wilting by 8 a.m.,” she says.
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