Mango farmers in the Lower Manya-Krobo municipality of the Eastern Region are crying foul over the activities of Fulani herdsmen who allow their cattles to destroy their mango plantations and other farm properties.
The farmers are bitter that the phenomenon has put many of them in huge debts after many years of toiling to cultivate their mango plantations.
The mango plantation farms are located in the stretch of land between Okwenya and Kpong along the Tema-Akosombo highway.
Mr Edward Amanor, the Chairman for the Lower Manya Association of Mango Farmers in the Eastern region, told Kloma Hengme, a Krobo Advocacy and Heritage association on Wednesday that it is not only the farmers who are complaining and suffering at the hands of the Fulanis but also the people of Lower Manya and Krobo as a whole.
Mr. Amanor, who himself is very bitter after losing several acres of his mango plantation to the nomads said, the Fulani herdsmen actually guide their cattle to feed on their mango plantations to their displeasure.
According to him, over eight Mango farmers have so far reported the situation at hand to his office though he is aware that a far more greater number are affected. He explained that the activities of the herdsmen and their cattle have destroyed about fifty acres of their farm lands.
He further noted that they have officially reported the case to the Lower-Manya Municipal Assembly, the Municipal Director of Agriculture, and also to the Akuse Police Command. He said if the leaders refuse/or delay to take any concrete decision to stop the Fulani Herdsmen from destroying their crops, they may be forced to take personal actions against them to prevent any further destruction of their plantation farms left.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Lower Manya-Krobo, Hon Jacob Acolatse on his part told Kloma Hengme of his receipt of the official complaint of the farmers. Hon Acolatse who described the phenomenon as a ”Security threat” said he has informed the Municipal Co-ordinator to invite all the stakeholders to a meeting after which he will take up the case to a Municipal Security Council meeting for a decision to be taken.
Meanwhile, the management of the Kloma Hengme association have said they are deeply worried over the phenomenon since it is a security threat to the Krobo people. The association said the numbers of Fulani Herdsmen and their cattles seem to be increasing by the day, and they suspect a possible migration of the nomads from other hostile areas into the Krobo area.
A Deputy Director of Communications of the association, Joseph Tetteh Akutey, said the association will be following the event closely and will work in collaboration with the Municipal Security Council and all stakeholdes to find a concrete solution to these disturbing phenomenon to curtail possible conflict situations in the future.
This development comes on the back of the raging standoff between residents of Agogo in the Ashanti region and the Fulani nomads.
It will be recalled that just a few days ago, hundreds of millitary personnel have been deployed to drive away Fulani herdsmen in Agogo by the Ashanti Regional Security Council (RESEC) following a recent unrest over there. This was after Fulani Herdsmen killed three residents in Agogo in cold blood.
