By Mustapha Jarju
Farmers in Jalamang village are seriously living in sorrow as stray cattle continue to destroy their farms, a terrible situation that left them without anything to live on.
These farmers all expressed their disappointment and decried the destruction in their farms while they are calling the authorities to come to their aid.
Jutala Camara, a resident of Jalambang and a farmer who cultivated Groundnut and Onion told The Voice that she took a loan of over twenty thousand dalasi (D20, 000) that she invested in the farm but hopeless now as cattle constantly invade her farm to feed and finally destroyed every crop there. “I can say over a month they have been feeding on my farm crops till everything got destroyed,” she cried out.
” Every farming season I used to cultivate but those cattle will come to feed on it and destroy the farm, I am tired now!” she said.
She explained over again that she had spent over twenty thousand dalasi which does not include the effort she put into the farm as she was hoping to pay back the loan after the farm season, which is not realistic now.
“My family and I are discouraged even at night we used to go to the farm to chase the cattle as you are interviewing me it’s 1:00 am, after midnight, and we are women, this is the condition,” she explained
According to her, cattle that constantly destroying their farms in the village are owned by a man called Omar Bah; she went with this man to the house of Alkalo of Jalamang to work out some modalities. They ( Jutala Camara and Omar Bah) both agreed that he (Omar Bah) to compensate her for the damage. But however he said what they agreed on was too much while he “agreed with the Alkalo to pay just only six thousand dalasi,” she cried out.
Another farmer called Jomma who is also a resident of Jalamang village said the cattle are always destroying their farm, “If it is one cattle it will be better but they came in groups, it is after midnight that we supposed to be in bed, but we cannot because we have to stay awake to chase the cattle from entering the farms”
Jomma went on that the damages they are causing on their farms is enormous saying they cannot continue like this because it started not this farming season but long ago.
“My farm has been seriously affected by the uncontrolled cattle which are trampling and grazing our cultivated crops,” Bakary Sanyang, a farmer in Jalambang village said.
“With the little money I have spent on farming this season I was hoping that I will at least gain like 12% from the farm but with the damages, I am (have) zero percent gain, my farming season this year is again spoiled,” he stated without no hope.
“And now how do you think I am going to feed my family, I am old, we are struggling after the cattle in the night and I have never experience such in my entire life. The law will speak the truth between us and the animal owner, their cattle are their wealth and their wealth cannot be destroying our source of living while we continue looking at it like this, that is not possible,” he said.