Striga weed invades northern farms • Thousands of acres of maize, millet and sorghum under attack

Farmers in the Upper East and Upper West regions are battling a devastating infestation of Striga weed, with thousands of acres of cereal farms coming under attack in the two regions, some farmers in the Upper East have revealed.

Striga weed, commonly known as “witchweed”, is a parasitic weed that attacks the roots of crops, especially cereals and legumes. It usually attacks the roots of these crops and stunts their growth.

It has become particularly destructive to maize, millet and sorghum farms in the two regions, with farmers reporting declining yields and, in some cases, abandoning traditional crops altogether.

Experts have warned that unless urgent steps are taken to bring it under control, it could destroy more than 80 per cent of cereal yields and threaten food security in northern Ghana.

A farmer at Gambibigo in the Bolgatanga East District, Bright Abentara, told The Ghanaian Times that the problem had worsened with declining soil fertility and widespread land degradation.

“This Striga weed issue has struck a lot of farmers here in the Upper East, particularly the majority who are into growing millet, maize and sorghum. In fact, it has even compelled many farmers to abandon cultivating the traditional crop, the ‘Early Millet’,” he said.

He called for urgent government intervention, saying the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), non-governmental organisations and development partners must support farmers to contain the menace.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), Sumaila Saaka, has described the weed as a “silent driver of hunger” in the north.

He said thousands of hectares of farmland, particularly in the Upper East and Upper West regions, could lose up to 80 per cent of their yields to Striga if the problem was not aggressively tackled.