Odisha, along with many other states across India, is likely to witness an unusually long summer and irregular rainfall this year, mostly in April and May, said IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra recently. Sonepur, Titilagarh, Bolangir, and Bhawanipatna are already recording temperatures over 35°C in the first week of March 2026. As the state braces up for a long and prolonged summer this year, climatologists, while blaming the condition on climate change, have warned that it will also affect the seasonal crops.
Climate change is rapidly emerging as a core economic challenge for Odisha, which till date is largely dependent on farming. Despite its declining contribution to the state economy to about 18-19% of GDSP, agriculture continues to employ nearly 45–48% of Odisha’s workforce. According to official reports, roughly 60% of the state’s cultivated land remains rain-fed, making farm output highly sensitive to shifts in weather patterns. Therefore, an erratic rainfall or extreme weather plays spoilsport destroying crops, which in turn drastically affects the farm sector, creating a rippling effect, affecting through rural consumption, food supply chains and local markets.
Weather patterns affecting crop yield
A look at the official statistics gives an indication of how in the last five years, the state has had to bear the brunt of climate change. While heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Bulbul affected over 2.22 lakh hectares of agricultural land in 2019, Dana damaged over 80,000 hectares of standing paddy crops, with another 2.8 lakh hectares submerged temporarily in 2024.
Moreover, saline water intrusion after cyclones, which reduces soil fertility in coastal districts, has significantly affected the fertility of crops.
Similarly, while erratic monsoons have delayed sowing, changing temperature and humidity patterns have triggered pest outbreaks. Swarming caterpillars and brown plant hopper have destroyed thousands of hectares of paddy fields in recent years.
Economic Losses
The 16th Finance Commission has assessed the economic losses in its report. In one of its reports on the impact of disasters on Odisha, the commission highlighted that about 19.68 lakh hectares of cropland were affected due to extreme weather, causing economic losses of roughly ₹15,860 crore in agriculture alone.
Similarly, ₹6,581 crore were lost as around 2.5 lakh hectares of horticulture crops were also affected.
If official reports are to go by, extreme weather causes economic losses exceeding ₹12,000 crore annually in the state, affecting agriculture, fisheries and rural livelihoods.
Strained financial balance
It has also strained the finances of the state government creating a hole in the public exchequer.
Repeated disasters in recent years have put the state government under financial burden. While the state reported overall losses of about ₹24,000 crore after Cyclone Fani, with a significant share coming from agriculture and rural infrastructure, cyclone Yaas caused damages estimated at around ₹610 crore in agriculture alone, prompting emergency relief spending and compensation for affected farmers.
Unseasonal rainfall and floods also add to the fiscal pressure. In 2024, crop losses due to heavy rain affected more than 2.2 lakh hectares of farmland, forcing the government to provide hundreds of crores of rupees in relief assistance to farmers. Each such event means additional expenditure on crop compensation, input subsidies, seed distribution and restoration of irrigation infrastructure.
The way forward
With climate change becoming a constant phenomenon, the time is ripe for the government to shift its policy. Instead of focusing on disaster relief, the response must be long-term resilience. Certain measures are:
- Focus on water management: It’s a well-known fact that in Odisha, nearly 60% of farmland remains rain-fed. The government should invest in micro-irrigation, concentrate on watershed development, and manage groundwater and dams, which in turn can reduce dependence on erratic monsoons.
- Accelerate crop diversification: While Paddy dominates the state’s agriculture, it’s facing climate related crisis as it is highly water-intensive and climate-sensitive. It’s time the state took initiative in promoting millets, pulses and oilseeds. It will serve dual purpose—reduce climate risk and improve nutritional security.
- Encourage tech-driven solutions: Introduction of artificial intelligence will go a long way in enhancing farmers’ income. In fact, the state recently came up with a smartphone-based app capable of crop monitoring, disease prediction, and temperature control.
If Odisha manages to integrate climate adaptation into its development strategy, it can protect both its farmers and its economic growth from the growing uncertainties of a changing climate.
