Cocoa farmers in Cross River State have lamented the destruction of nine hectares of their farms by fire.
The incident happened two days ago in Edor and Ogbagante Akparabong communities in Ikom LGA of the state which has the largest cocoa plantations in the state.
One of the affected 19 big-time cocoa farmers, Mr Richard Ndoma of Akparabong community confirmed the incident when he spoke to journalists at one of the farms.
He said that in his own community, six massive farms were destroyed, adding that “In nearby Edor community, 13 cocoa farms were affected. So in all, 19 massive cocoa farms have been razed by this fire. These farmlands are about nine hectares.
“The fire was ignited by a retired soldier who also had a farm. He did not carefully clear the precincts of his farms. And so, when he set fire in his own farm, it spread to all the neighbouring farms.
“I am completely devastated. My entire investments worth over N7 million; my entire savings have been burnt away. My sweat over the years of nurturing the cocoa nurseries, the weeding and labour costs, the high cost of chemicals, the transportation are all wasted.”
Richard, who spoke on behalf of other affected farmers, said he borrowed money from banks and cooperative societies to nurture the farm, and wondered how he would be able to repay such loans to creditors.
He said he invested in the cocoa farm as a form of economic security because cocoa farming is about the only source of income for many in both Edor, Akparabong and other communities in Ikom.
The farmers appealed to both the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to assist them recover from their losses.
“We seriously appeal to SEMA and NEMA to help us. This fire has completely devastated us. We need help. Such help will bring us back on our feet even though it takes some years and huge costs to raise cocoa nurseries to maturity,” he said.