By James Esuon
Agona Kwesi Twikrom (C/R), Oct 06, GNA- More than 700 cash and food crop farmers at Agona Kwesi Twikrom in the Agona East District of the Central region have lost their only source of livelihood following the destruction of their farms by an investor.
The investor who will plant pineapples on the land, according to the farmers, used macho land guards dressed in full military uniforms to protect bulldozers that cleared the 250 acres farmland with variety of crops including cocoa, coconut, oranges, palm trees, cassava, maize, garden eggs, pepper and others.
Some elders of Yogo No2 Family of Agona Asafo, said two of their family members, Messrs Yaw Nkum and Yaw Fosu, who claimed to be owners of the land, sold it to the investor without the consent of the entire family.
Addressing a press conference to register their displeasure, Mr Albert Quainoo, former Assemblyman for the Agona Kwesi Twikrom /Fawomanye Electoral Area and an affected farmer, said the destruction of the farm which had yielded produce, had thrown the town into a state of shock and dismay.
He said Nkum and Fosu allegedly told the farmers that the investor would not pay anybody because their crops were flowers in their eyes.
The farmers, Mr Quainoo indicated, had no source of income as they solely relied on their farm produce for living, making life unbearable for them.
Mr Quainoo recounted how an 82-year-old woman, Madam Efua Yamoawaa died out of shock when the sad news reached her that her coconut plantation had been destroyed with a bulldozer.
He further revealed that when they got wind of the news that Nkum and Fosu were going to clear the land with the investor, they immediately sent an emergency report to the Agona Swedru Divisional CID office of the Ghana police Service, but they failed to respond.
He alleged that the CID officers rather prevented the farmers and elders of Yogo No 2 Family of Agona Asafo from stopping the destruction of their farms.
The farmers, through their spokesperson, appealed to the Minister of Interior, the IGP, the Director General of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and other relevant agencies under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to investigate the matter and ensure that justice was done and appropriate compensations paid to the farmers.
Madam Ekua Sekyi, an 85-year-old widow wept uncontrollably and appealed to President John Mahama to intervene.
She said: ‘’ l have lost my husband 50 years ago and had single handedly catered for my children through the farms only to wake up one day to see my crops destroyed by the wicked investor and his accomplices.’’
Madam Efua Kyerewaa, another widow said her five-acre palm plantation had been destroyed by the same people who cut down her three-acre palm crops three years ago with an excuse that the land belonged to them.
She therefore called on President John Mahama to intervene to salvage the situation since the cost of living had become unbearable for her and she could not pay her children’s school fees which had become extremely difficult to do.
The widow added that if the President of the Republic failed to act, she and her children will die of hunger and other pressing domestic needs, pleading that the authorities should act swiftly to help salvage their deteriorated conditions.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah