Deadly weed strikes maize and sorghum farms in Busia

The deadly striga weed has struck farms in parts of Busia, threatening Governor Paul Otuoma’s dream of making the county food-secure.

The farms affected are mainly in Teso North and parts of Teso South, where the weed has spread in gardens occupied by maize and sorghum.

Farmers on August 8 appealed to the county and national governments to intervene and institute a lasting solution to the problem.

The weed mostly dwarfs maize and sorghum, making it difficult for the crops to mature and yield.

Affected crops usually dry, particularly in farms located in areas with insufficient rain.

The deadly weed spreads fast, and if its multiplication is not checked, can spread across a farm in less than three planting seasons.

It spreads by shedding seeds, which germinate in subsequent planting seasons, making it hard to control.

In one of the farms the Star visited in Moding on the Moding market-Adumai road, the weed has covered the entire farm, clouding hopes of harvesting white sorghum planted in the more than two-acre piece of land.

Christopher Emukule, a farmer from Kakurikit, said the weed’s spreads needs to be checked lest farmers suffer low harvest.

He said authorities should move with speed and provide chemical control methods to stop the striga from spreading.

Traditionally, farmers have been uprooting the weed – manually – but the control method seems not to be working.

When it sheds seeds into the soil, the weed sprouts on planting after farms have been harrowed.

The weed can also be spread by cattle, which carry seeds between their hooves as they move from farm to farm, grazing.

“The government, both national and county, should help us. Otherwise, we will have little food to harvest,” Emukule said.

Vitalis Etyang said the weed had vanished from farms but it was surprising the deadly plant had returned to gardens.

He said the Agriculture department should find a way of eliminating the weed totally.

Magdalene Adikinyi said the elimination of the deadly plant needs concerted efforts from all stakeholders in the agriculture sector.

If left unchecked, the spread of the striga may hamper the realisation of food security as envisaged by Otuoma.

During his swearing-in on August 25 last year, the county chief said ensuring Busia is food-secure will be among issues under his focus as he begins serving his first term as governor.

“A hungry population is an unproductive population. We are faced with serious shortage of food to feed our people,” Otuoma said.

“While the county government may not provide food directly to the citizens, it has a responsibility to provide support services to ensure the people produce enough to feed themselves and earn a living out of their agricultural investment.”

“To address this, my administration will strengthen producer groups in the agricultural sector and link them to markets and business development service providers to promote agribusiness and exploit local market opportunities.”