Cocoa farmers at Abomina Nketewa, a farming community near Suhum, has appealed to government to stop a timber contractor from indiscriminate felling of trees on their cocoa farms.
The farmers contended that the activities of Mr Stephen Owusu, the contractor and his 11-member chainsaw operators, had caused destruction to many cocoa farms and some houses in the community.
Narrating the incident to the Ghana News Agency, the Odikro of the community, Mr Baffour Osai Ntifour and Mr Kwame Ntow, Chairman of the Unit Committee, said so far, 63 cocoa farms and some houses had been destroyed.
Mr Baffour Ntifour said three weeks ago, Mr Owusu and his team without their knowledge invaded the area and started felling trees indiscriminately, which destroyed farms, especially cocoa farms and some houses.
He said when Mr Owusu was confronted he said the government had given him a concession to fell timber trees in the area.
Mr Ntifuor said when he demanded that Mr Owusu should produce his documents to that effect he (Mr Owusu) became offended and threatened to have him (Ntifuor) arrested.
He said due to that, farmers who decided to visit their farms early in the day to protect their crops were physically assaulted by Mr Owusu and his gang.
Mr Ntifuor alleged that a 74 year-old cocoa farmer, Opanin Abraham Kofi Ofori, who prevented the contractor and his team from felling tress in his cocoa farm was arrested and placed in police cells at Akwadum for two days.
Okomfo Adwoa Okorewah, of the Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association, another victim expressed worry about the situation and said if measures were not taken to address their concerns they would be compelled to defend themselves by any means possible.
She said farmers were in their main cocoa season so everyone was harvesting in order to make some money to pay wards' school fees and also prepared towards the Christmas festivities and would not sit down unconcern for their livelihood to be destroyed.
Okomfo Okorewah said cocoa is their only source of revenue and the destruction cocoa farms would bring untold hardship on them.
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