Abodweseso (C/R), Jan. 21, -
Hopes of farmers in Abodweseso and its surrounding communities in the Assin
South District of the Central Region for a bumper harvest were dashed following
an invasion by elephants on their farms on Saturday.
Mr Kojo Tawiah, the spokesperson
for the affected farmers who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency at
Abodweseso said the marauding elephants came from the Kakum National Park
Forest extension.
He said the animals in the
process of feeding moved beyond their feeding boundaries and destroyed cash and
food crops including cocoa farms, yam, cocoyam, cassava among others.
The angry farmers, expressed
concern about the rampaging elephants who occasionally visit the area
particularly in every January-February to cause mayhem on farms and uproot
trees to block roads and damage aquatic lives and habitats.
Mr Tawaih said the situation
posed a serious threat to food security, human lives and a disincentive to
farm, especially among the forestry boundary farming communities.
He said all efforts to get the
Game and Wildlife Service who were the Managers of the forest reserve to put in
place measures to stop the animals from coming to the area have proved futile.
Other affected farmers called on
the Government as well as the Game and Wildlife Department to act with
immediate effect or they would have to gun down the animals to save their farms
and the emerging threats to food security in the area.
"We won't sit down for the
elephants to destroy our crops which are nearing a level where we can harvest.
It is very sad for our crops to be destroyed just like that when that is what
we rely on to take care of our family, pay school fees and pay other
bills" they said.
The aggrieved farmers said the
destruction was one too many for them to keep ignoring over the years as they
struggled to survive by growing other crops like plantain and cassava alongside
the cocoa but all were destroyed by the elephants.
"We sometimes have to risk
our lives by confronting the elephants with sticks. We beat drums, blow
whistles and very loudly knock noise making objects to scare the animals from
eating our crops”.
The farmers are calling on
Government and Ghana Game and Wildlife Service to come to their aid and take
immediate steps to remedy the situation.
GNA
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