Cocoa plantation farmers in Edor and Ogbagante Akparabong communities in Ikom LGA of the state have been gutted after a fire incident razed their nine hectares plantation.
According to Daily Post, the incident was said to have occurred on Sunday.
The incident has been confirmed by one of the affected 19 cocoa farmers, Mr Richard Ndoma of Akparabong community.
According to him, six massive farms were razed in his community.
“In the 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 sweats 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, lamented further, saying he had borrowed money from banks and cooperative societies to maintain the farm and he was concerned about his ability to pay back such loans to creditors.
While owning a cocoa field is an obligatory tradition in his Akparabong village, he claimed he invested in it as a means of financial stability.
He insisted that for many people in Edor, Akparabong, and other communities in Ikom, cocoa growing is their main source of income.
“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.
