Masindi farmers battle devastating striga weed, seek government intervention
MASINDI, February 12, 2026 — Farmers in Masindi district are grappling with a widespread invasion of striga weed that has severely reduced cereal crop yields, particularly maize, simsim and sorghum.
This was revealed during a recent one-day training organised by Gukwatamanzi Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited and the Soyabean Farmers’ Cooperative Society of Uganda Limited [SOFACU], in partnership with the ENCOT Foundation.
The event held at Gukwatamanzi Gardens in Kasenyi village, Labbongo Sub-county, Masindi district saw farmers call on government to fight the dangerous weed.
Striga, commonly known as witchweed, is a destructive parasitic plant that attaches itself to the roots of cereal crops such as maize, sorghum, millet and rice in Africa, Asia and Australia. It causes severe stunting and can lead to yield losses of up to 100 per cent by drawing essential nutrients and water from host plants.
The weed produces thousands of tiny seeds that can remain viable in the soil for 15 to 20 years.
Kanaginagi Ateenyi, a maize farmer from Bokwe Village, lamented the heavy losses caused by striga. “Farmers used to harvest about ten bags of maize per acre, but yields have dropped to as low as two bags following the infestation,” she said.
Simon Omara, a resident of Kasenyi village, said he cultivated two acres of maize last season and expected to harvest around 20 bags. However, he managed only ten bags, resulting in significant financial losses.
Omara appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to intervene by providing chemicals to help manage and control the spread of striga. He noted that maize farming had previously been a major source of income before the weed’s invasion.
Francis Byamukama, Programmes Manager at Gukwatamanzi Farmers’ Cooperative Society, thanked partner organisations for training farmers on how to mitigate and curb the spread of striga in the district.
“I advised farmers to adjust by either reducing cereal production or practising crop rotation with oilseed crops such as soyabeans and sunflower to reduce the multiplication of the weed,” he explained.
Byamukama also urged the government to deploy more agricultural extension officers to educate farmers on the dangers of striga. He further called for government support to cooperative societies through the provision of tractors and processing machines to promote value addition.
Emily Ainembabazi, an Administrative Officer at the ENCOT Foundation, said the organisation had begun training farmers at sub-county and village levels, encouraging them to grow oilseed crops such as soyabeans, groundnuts and sunflower to curb the spread of striga.
She explained that striga does not thrive in oilseed crops and that its spread can be contained within three to four seasons of consistent cultivation of such crops.
James Balikurungi, LCIII Chairperson of Labbongo Sub-county, said sugarcane farmers were also affected by striga and that urgent action was needed to address the problem.
Meanwhile, Oliver Kiiza, Vice-Chairperson of SOFACU, highlighted the ready market for soyabeans.
She encouraged farmers to join the cooperative, noting that SOFACU currently has more than 900 members and aims to increase membership to 1,500 to strengthen its bargaining power.
https://thecooperator.news/50-cooperatives-in-apac-and-kwania-districts-receive-farm-inputs/
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