Nsoatre (B/A), Dec 15, GNA – Mr Ignatius Baffuor-Awuah, Sunyani District Chief Executive, on Friday arrested a woman at Ayakomaso, near Nsoatre, for setting fire in the bush and handed her over to the police. The woman, whose name was not immediately available has been granted bail by the police and will be put before court after investigations.
Mr Baffuor-Awuah said this at the inauguration of the Nfaniagoro Tomatoes Growers Cooperative Society.
He said he saw a thick smoke in the bush whilst travelling from Nsoatre to Sunyani and stopped to find out what was happening. ”I saw the woman burning the bush so I got closer and arrested her and handed her over to the police.”
He said the bush fire bye-laws, launched last year by the assembly, would be strictly enforced this year to ensure that offenders faced the full rigours of the law to deter like-minded persons from carrying out the practice.
”Anyone who sets a bushfire will not be pardoned. A lot of residents of Nsoatre, including my cousin, were fined two million cedis each last year for committing the offence.”
”The situation where farmers get their farms destroyed during the dry season tends to discourage others from engaging in farming ventures for fear of toiling in vain.”
Mr Baffour-Awuah called on all to assist the fire volunteers to fight against the practice to ensure that the district experiences a bush-fire free dry season this year.
On the association, the DCE advised members to work in unity to sustain the group and in unison move ahead towards the achievement of their objectives.
Mr Emmanuel Apau Konamoah, Regional Cooperative Development Officer, said traders had for a very long time cheated farmers “because they decide on the price to give to the farmers.”
”Unemployed youth are leaving the rural areas to look for greener pastures in the cities simply because they do not want to remain in their poverty due to the attitude of some buyers towards farmers.” Mr Daniel Selormey, chairman of the association, urged members to consider ways of making the group attractive for other tomato farmers to join.
He urged female farmers to register with the association since it was not formed only for males.
Source: GhanaWeb
