Ghana’s rice farmers are losing as much as 84 per cent of their harvests to invasive weeds, researchers revealed at a stakeholder workshop on Wednesday.

The findings, presented by the CSIR‑Crops Research Institute (CSIR‑CRI) and the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA), underscored the urgent threat to food security and the need for coordinated national action. 

The workshop, attended by more than 50 farmers, extension officers, and officials, marked the close of the first year of the three‑year KOPIA Rice Weed Management Project.

Scientists reported that five major weed species — including Echinochloa spp. (Ashaiman killer), Leptochloa chinensis (Black Jerry), Urochloa humidicola (Aguda), Ischaemum rugosum (Ogo), and Cyperus spp. (Atadwe) — are entrenched in rice fields, capable of slashing yields by 50 to 80 per cent while also hosting destructive rice diseases. 

Dr Stephen Arthur, Project Coordinator at CSIR‑CRI, warned that farmers were spending GH₵1,600 to GH₵2,000 per acre on hand‑picking weeds, a cost he described as ‘unsustainable.’

He urged adoption of integrated weed management practices combining timely herbicide use with improved agronomic methods. 

Other experts highlighted the wider consequences. Pathologist Dr Atta Aidoo linked weed infestations to increased incidence of blast, sheath blight, and brown spot, while entomologist Dr Kofi Frimpong‑Anin documented shifts in pest dynamics.

Agronomist Mr Kofi Lelabi Kota examined crop‑weed competition and the economics of current control practices. 

Senior CSIR officials called for stronger government support. Prof. Marian Dorcas Quain, Deputy Director‑General, stressed the need to back local seed production to reduce risky imports.

Prof. Maxwell Darko Asante, Director of CSIR‑CRI, urged the National Food Buffer Stock Company to purchase Dawhenya’s seeds to secure progress while Dr Young Jin Kim, Director of KOPIA Ghana Centre, emphasised Korea’s experience in building resilient rice systems and pledged continued partnership. 

Following the presentations, participants toured the fields to witness the difference between managed and unmanaged plots. Farmers expressed readiness to adopt the recommended strategies in the upcoming season. “What we have seen and heard is exactly what we needed,” said lead farmer Richard Affleh. 

The KOPIA Rice Weed Management Project will continue monitoring and documenting farmer practices over the next two years, with the goal of delivering sustainable solutions to protect Ghana’s rice sector from the silent but devastating threat of weeds. 

FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI