A group known as the Enugu State Graduate Farmers, has expressed dismay over the destruction of its 35,000 hectares of rice farm by herders in the state.
The farmland is at Ojoloko farm site at Umuiba, Nara, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Some of the farmers who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu, said all their investments in the farmland were destroyed by cattle.
They complained that the bank that lent them money was now after them for repayment.
Speaking to NAN on the development, the President, Enugu State Graduate Farmers, Patrick Mba, said that at every harvest, the herders would go to the farm, eat up their rice and set others on fire.
According to him, the farmers have lost billions of naira and up till now Sterling Bank is chasing some of them around because of inability to repay the loan they took.
“We are those farmers trained by the Enugu State Government during the tenure of former Governor Sullivan Chime.
“We started farming at Adani in Uzouwani Local Government Area, but when the farm was handed over to another company, we relocated to Nara where we have over 50, 000 hectares of land.
“We cultivated 35,000 hectares with rice both certified seed and paddy rice, since 2020 and in 2021, we borrowed money and did the farming, but when we were about to harvest, cows ate 80 per cent of the rice.
“They are in our farm on Sunday and Monday grazing and setting the rest on fire,” Mr Mba said.
He added that they did not confront them but reported the matter to the State Security Service, Amagunze Police Station, and also informed the commissioner of police and the Enugu State Government.
“We have once been invited for a meeting, but after the meeting the herders came back and did worse.
“We are appealing to the government to help us stop them from entering our farms as well as organisations to come to our aid as most have lost confidence in farming.
“Since 2020 that we started, we have lost all that we planted worth N1.5 billion, but this year experience was much,” he said.
Another farmer and leader of a farm cluster, Chukwudinka Ezeihu, described the attack as a total destruction, stressing that it has been devastating for them.
He explained that when they were expecting a quantum of yield from their rice they suffered to farm, they would wake up and see the farm destroyed by herders.
