More than 50 acres of farmland cultivated with maize, groundnuts, pepper, and cassava have been destroyed at Tsumkpo in the Shai Osudoku District following sand-winning activities.
Affected farmers say the activities have destroyed standing crops, degraded farmlands, and left deep excavations close to farms and homes, threatening their livelihoods.
Mr. Samuel Kateinor, a 92-year-old farmer, said he has farmed in the area for decades but has never witnessed destruction on such a scale.
“We farm here and also rear animals. We’ve been here for ages, but the people in Tokpo have given out the land to these companies without our knowledge,” he lamented.
Mr. Godwin Adjaotor, a pastor and farmer, said parts of his three-acre farm were destroyed before he could harvest.
“They used an excavator to destroy my farm. They came in the night to destroy it, and we are starving now,” he said.
The Assembly Member for the area, Mr. Israel Kweku Animle, confirmed he visited the affected farms after complaints. He said some operators were sent to the Shai Osudoku District Assembly, where it was established that although they had permits for sand-winning, the permits were for a different location and had expired.
However, the District Chief Executive for Shai Osudoku, Mr. Ignatius Godfred Dordoe, told GNA that the Assembly had not granted any permission for sand-winning in the affected area.
“We denied them. We asked them to go for the permit from the Minerals Commission first, but they never came back,” he said.
Residents are now appealing to authorities to halt further destruction, investigate competing ownership claims, and enforce regulations governing sand-winning to save their farmlands.
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