Rice farms in Bulambuli face ruin as quelea birds swarm

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Over 1,000 acres of rice farmland in Bulambuli district, eastern Uganda, are under threat from a destructive invasion of quelea birds, amid warnings that the entire crop could be wiped out if swift action is not taken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

The threat was first raised in a letter from SWT farm administration to the ministry, reporting a large-scale infestation by the birds.

According to the letter dated July 17, 2025, and received by the commissioner of the Crop Protection Department at MAAIF, Stephen Byantwale, the quelea birds have been eating and destroying rice on SWT’s plantation, which spans over 10 square miles.

The rice currently under threat is at the milking and hardening stages, critical periods in grain development, and the report indicates that damage by last Thursday has exceeded the 30% previously reported.

What is being done? 

In response, a team from the agriculture ministry, in collaboration with the Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA), has been dispatched to the district to assess the situation.

Evarist Magara, DLCO-EA country manager, confirmed that the quelea population is in the millions and spreading rapidly to neighbouring rice fields.

“The quelea birds’ roosting sites have been established and marked for control. We are now mobilising to execute an aerial control of the birds as was done when the farm had the same problem in 2021,” Magara explained.

He attributed the fast multiplication of the birds to swampy areas, which have provided favourable conditions for roosting.

“The aerial spraying of the birds will not only benefit SWT farm alone but also the neighbouring communities,” he explained in an interview today, Thursday.