Fire has destroyed no fewer than nine hectares of cocoa farms in Cross River State.
The incident happened two days ago in Edor and Ogbagante Akparabong communities in Ikom LGA of the state.
Ikom produces has the largest cocoa plantations in Cross River state
Confirming the incident, one of the affected 19 cocoa farmers, Mr Richard Ndoma of Akparabong community who spoke to journalists, explained that in his own community, six massive farms were razed.
“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.”
Lamenting further, Richard who spoke on behalf of other affected farmers, said he had 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 as it is the mandatory tradition in his Akparabong community to own cocoa farms.
He maintained that cocoa farming is about the only source of income for many in Edor, Akparabong and other communities in Ikom.
The affected farmers have appealed to both the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to come to their aid as a way of restoring them.
“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.