 |
| FILE PHOTO: herdsmen |
An Abia based journalist cassava farm belonging to Mr. Steven Oko, have been destroyed by cows belonging to suspected herdsmen at Olokoro, in the Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.
Oko, a journalist based in Umuahia, reports for The Authority Newspapers.
Narrating his ordeal on Monday, Oko, who put the worth of his farm at over N463,000, said he was devastated by the incident.
The journalist, who said he had planned to embark on some capital project with proceeds from the sale of the crops by next year, said his hope had been dashed by the invasion of the farm by cows.
Oko said, “I decided to embrace farming early this year as part of strategies to survive the biting economic hardship in the country and also to enhance my economic base.
“Early this year when it became obvious that I could no longer depend on irregular salary for my increasing financial needs, I decided to suppress my ego and went into farming.
“Part of the reasons I also embraced farming was because the cost of garri had almost become unaffordable by the beginning of this year thus making cassava farming a very lucrative venture.
“Apart from my heavy investments in the farm I was personally involved in the farming activity.
“I was drenched by the June/July rains while working on the farm. My motivation was the promising bumper harvest of a blossoming farm.
“But my hope is now shattered. My calculation was to embark on one major project very dear to me by 2018 with proceeds from the farm. Cows have turned the two plots of land into a grazing field.”
Oko said apart from cassava, other crops on the farm, including cocoyam and pumpkin, were also destroyed by the cows which now feed on the farm on a daily basis.
He said he had already petitioned the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi, who also doubles as the state Chairman of Farmers/Herdsmen Conflict Resolution Committee.
Oko appealed to security agencies to compel herdsmen to rein in their animals and stop further destruction of farmlands in the state.
He added that the owners of the cows and the herdsmen should be made to bear the full responsibility of their action.
“It is hard to reconcile that in a democratic government, security agencies will watch herdsmen use their flock, which is their private business, to inflict loss on farmers,” he lamented.
In this article:
Oko, a journalist based in Umuahia, reports for The Authority Newspapers.
Narrating his ordeal on Monday, Oko, who put the worth of his farm at over N463,000, said he was devastated by the incident.
The journalist, who said he had planned to embark on some capital project with proceeds from the sale of the crops by next year, said his hope had been dashed by the invasion of the farm by cows.
Oko said, “I decided to embrace farming early this year as part of strategies to survive the biting economic hardship in the country and also to enhance my economic base.
“Early this year when it became obvious that I could no longer depend on irregular salary for my increasing financial needs, I decided to suppress my ego and went into farming.
“Part of the reasons I also embraced farming was because the cost of garri had almost become unaffordable by the beginning of this year thus making cassava farming a very lucrative venture.
“Apart from my heavy investments in the farm I was personally involved in the farming activity.
“I was drenched by the June/July rains while working on the farm. My motivation was the promising bumper harvest of a blossoming farm.
“But my hope is now shattered. My calculation was to embark on one major project very dear to me by 2018 with proceeds from the farm. Cows have turned the two plots of land into a grazing field.”
Oko said apart from cassava, other crops on the farm, including cocoyam and pumpkin, were also destroyed by the cows which now feed on the farm on a daily basis.
He said he had already petitioned the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi, who also doubles as the state Chairman of Farmers/Herdsmen Conflict Resolution Committee.
Oko appealed to security agencies to compel herdsmen to rein in their animals and stop further destruction of farmlands in the state.
He added that the owners of the cows and the herdsmen should be made to bear the full responsibility of their action.
“It is hard to reconcile that in a democratic government, security agencies will watch herdsmen use their flock, which is their private business, to inflict loss on farmers,” he lamented.
In this article: