Unidentified invasive weed threatens farming in parts of Jaffna

Farmers in parts of Jaffna have called for urgent action to control an unidentified weed that is spreading rapidly and disrupting agricultural activity around Nagadeepa and Alankulam.

Local farmers’ organisations have written to the agricultural research authorities in Thirunelveli, warning that the plant is spreading quickly and could become a serious threat to cultivation.

The farmers said they did not know the name of the weed and had asked agricultural officials to identify it and recommend measures to contain its spread.

They drew comparisons with Parthenium hysterophorus, an invasive weed which has spread extensively across the Northern Province. According to the farmers, Parthenium was introduced during the period when the Indian Peace Keeping Force was deployed in the North and East, reportedly as fodder for goats.

Farmers said the newly observed weed could prove similarly destructive if it was allowed to spread unchecked.

The plant produces very small seeds which can be carried over long distances by wind, increasing the risk of its spread to other agricultural areas, the farmers’ organisations said.

Following the complaints, agricultural officers collected several samples of the plant and sent them to the Thirunelveli Agricultural Research Centre for examination.

Farmers have urged agricultural extension authorities to identify the species quickly and introduce control measures before it becomes more widely established.