Over 60 cocoa farms destroyed due to indiscriminate felling of trees

Suhum, Dec. 10, GNA - Cocoa farmers at Abomina Nketewa, a farming community near Suhum, has appealed to government to stop a timber contrac= tor from indiscriminate felling of trees on their cocoa farms. The farmers contended that the activities of Mr Stephen Owusu, the contractor and his 11-member chainsaw operators, had caused destruction t= o many cocoa farms and some houses in the community. Narrating the incident to the Ghana News Agency, the Odikro of the community, Mr Baffour Osai Ntifour and Mr Kwame Ntow, Chairman of the Uni= t Committee, said so far, 63 cocoa farms and some houses had been destroyed= .. Mr Baffour Ntifour said three weeks ago, Mr Owusu and his team withou= t their knowledge invaded the area and started felling trees indiscriminate= ly, which destroyed farms, especially cocoa farms and some houses. He said when Mr Owusu was confronted he said the government had given=

him a concession to fell timber trees in the area. Mr Ntifuor said when he demanded that Mr Owusu should produce his documents to that effect he (Mr Owusu) became offended and threatened to have him (Ntifuor) arrested. He said due to that, farmers who decided to visit their farms early i= n the day to protect their crops were physically assaulted by Mr Owusu and his gang. Mr Ntifuor alleged that a 74 year-old cocoa farmer, Opanin Abraham Ko= fi Ofori, who prevented the contractor and his team from felling tress in hi= s cocoa farm was arrested and placed in police cells at Akwadum for two day= s. Okomfo Adwoa Okorewah, of the Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association, another victim expressed worry about the situation and said if measures were not taken to address their concerns they would be compelled= to defend themselves by any means possible. She said farmers were in their main cocoa season so everyone was harvesting in order to make some money to pay wards' school fees and also=

prepared towards the Christmas festivities and would not sit down unconce= rn for their livelihood to be destroyed. Okomfo Okorewah said cocoa is their only source of revenue and the destruction cocoa farms would bring untold hardship on them.