Cattle Rearers Illegally Occupy Lands in Bombali
Complaints reaching Sierra Express Media (SEM) reveal that, cattle rearers who are mostly Fullahs in Makarie Gbanti Chiefdom, Bombali District are distressing local crop farmers who are the land owners by allegedly bribing local authorities including Paramount Chiefs, Section Chiefs and some heartless village Headman for the herd’s men to illegally occupy their lands.
Speaking to SEM, one of the elders of Worreh Makankry village who is a prominent farmer, Mr. Santigie Kamara stated that food insufficiency is seriously hitting the country because land grabbers and cattle rearers connived to illegally occupy our agricultural land for the purpose of taming or growing their cattle who in turn destroy all sorts of plantations cultivated by farmers for their livelihoods.
He said the destruction caused by the roaming cattle without any compensation in the end had resulted in many farmers abandoning agriculture adding that during colonial days there were abundant local foods in all of our markets because farmers were given power by Government to have voice but he added “To day Government is not paying much attention on Agriculture which is evidence by the lack of modernized tools like tractors to practice mechanized farming.
Mr. Kamara further informed SEM that they as local crop farmers and land owners have no means to eliminate those herds’ men because certain authorities have allowed them to stay at the expense of the majority of farmers.
On behalf of colleague farmers in that part of the country, Kamara called on Government through the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) to institute a legislation that will force cattle rearers to control their animals from damaging their crops because they depend on farming for their survival.
By Abdulai Mento Kamara
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