Purple-flowered weed taking over crop gardens in eastern Uganda

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Farmers in the eastern districts of Bukedea, Katakwi, Kumi, Bulambuli and Sironko have appealed to the National Agricultural Research Organisation for support in managing the Striga weed.

Striga is a purple invasive weed that sprouts in soils that have lost fertility. When it emerges, it affects the productivity of food crops such as millet, sorghum, maize and, more recently, groundnuts.

In an interview with New Vision on July 29, 2025, at Kalengo wetland, Stephen Okwameri, a resident of Kalengo subcounty in Bukedea, said the weed appears as soon as the crop emerges from the soil.

“This weed competes with the actual crop; in the end, the other crops stop growing, and the weed continues. In a short time, you find the whole garden is full of purple flowers and no crop can grow,” he explained.

His frustration was echoed by Savio Okwatum, who said that although he and other farmers have received training from researchers at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute based in Serere, their recommendations have not been effective.

“They advised us to uproot the weeds as soon as they germinate, but it’s not easy to identify them until they start flowering. Besides, uprooting the whole garden is not effective because one cannot uproot a whole garden alone, given the speed of multiplication of the weed,” Okwatum said.

According to scientists from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Striga, also known as witchweed, is one of the invasive plant species affecting crop production in different parts of the country. The ministry adds that the weed has the potential to cause 100% yield loss.