More than 100 acres of the 1000-acre cashew farm at Vakpo Dzogbega in the North Dayi District of the Volta Region have been destroyed by fire.
The farm is believed to be the largest cashew enterprise in the country and the lost to the fire could reach GHC1.5 million.
Mr Patrick Denka, the Assistant Farm Manager, who briefed the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the fire came at a time the trees had begun to bear fruit.
More than 4,000 matured cashew trees were lost in the wildfire, he said, suspecting the activities of hunters.
The fire, which occurred on Friday, February 16, reportedly begun around 1500 hours engulfing the farm, the manager said, and that the few trees that were likely to survive would record low yields in the future.
The GNA saw many trees with ripe fruits completely burnt, with some embers still glowing.
Mr Kofi Dzamesi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Power Authority, who owns the farm, said: ‘Losses from the fire could reach GHC1.5 million, and that is a setback to efforts at de
veloping the agrarian landscape of this area.’
He said the incident had been reported to the police and expressed the hope that with the support of traditional leaders, such occurrences would be avoided.
‘I don’t know if its out of ignorance or sheer wickedness. What we know is that the chiefs are behind us. They gave us the land and we will seek their intervention to address the issue of bush burning,’ he said.
Mr Dzamesi spoke of the lack of insurance cover in the country for crop farmers and appealed to the Government to support farm enterprises against fire and other losses.
‘It is difficult to get insurance companies to insure farms, and so the State must come in to support large scale farms’.
Source: Ghana News Agency
A total of 33 recently elected Assembly Members, along with Unit Committee Members and 15 government officials appointed for the Upper Manya Krobo District, have been officially sworn in.
Mr Stephen Ofori-Akrasi, the Upper Manya Krobo District Magistrate, administered the oath of office at a ceremony held in Asesewa, located in the Eastern Region.
In her address, Mrs. Grace Bediako, a former government statistician and the current board chairperson for the Ghana Statistical Service, congratulated the newly elected Assembly and Unit Committee Members for their successful election to the assembly.
She urged the honourable members to make a meaningful impact in their communities, adding, ‘The job is a sacrificial one, so do it wholeheartedly to bring relief and change to your people in the locality.’?
Mr Joe Sam, the District Chief Executive of Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly, also congratulated members and expressed his commitment to working together with them to bring development to the people.?
‘I al
one can’t do the work; let’s come together devoid of political affiliation to give a face-lift to the Upper Manya we have always been willing to see,’ he added.
Mr. Felix Yohuno, a government appointee, emerged victorious in the race for the position of presiding member, securing 33 votes, leaving his opponents with 13 votes.
Three ballot papers were deemed invalid.
The Member of Parliament for the Upper Manya Krobo constituency, Mr Bismark Tetteh Nyarko, the District Coordinating Director, the District Police Commander, and other heads of departments and representatives observed the swearing-in event.
Source: Ghana News Agency