Witchweed threatens maize, millet and sorghum harvests in Upper East
Parasitic weed Striga wipes out up to 80% of cereal crops in northern Ghana, farmers warn of food security risk.
Farmers in the Upper East Region are counting heavy losses after the parasitic weed Striga, locally called witchweed, spread across cereal farms.
The weed attacks the roots of maize, millet and sorghum, robbing crops of water and nutrients. It has already wiped out entire plots in several communities.
At Gambibgo in the Bolgatanga East District, journalists saw crops that could not produce any yield. One farmer, Bright Abentara, said he had lost about 60 per cent of his expected harvest before the plants matured.
Another farmer, James Adoku, explained that spraying chemicals was not a solution because of health and environmental concerns. He said the weed was a growing threat to livelihoods.
The sensitisation visit was organised by the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana Journalists Association. It was funded by the Awaken Trees Association of Austria.
FONAR Executive Director Sumaila S. Saaka warned that unchecked Striga could cause yield losses of up to 80 per cent in affected seasons. He described the weed as a silent driver of hunger in northern Ghana.
Saaka said the problem was linked to declining soil fertility, loss of tree cover and climate variability. He urged farmers to adopt natural regeneration, legume rotation and intercropping to restore soil health.
The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Zakaria Fuseini, said extension officers had observed Striga as a recurring challenge. He called on journalists to report practical solutions, not just the existence of the weed.
GJA Chairman Albert Sore appealed for sustained attention to agriculture, warning that silent problems like Striga could devastate farming households if ignored.
