Tension In B/A Over Cutting Of Cashew Farms

Tension is gradually brewing in Nwoase Traditional Area in the Brong Ahafo Region between cashew farmers and chief of the area over the destruction of vast cashew farmlands by the military on the orders of the chief.

The tension between the farmers and chief of the town Nana Adu Kofi III Atekoanohene was as a result of the eviction of the farmers from their lands to pave way for the new occupants.

The Assemblyman for Nwoase Electoral Area, Mr. Peter K. Sanguru in an interview with Today complained about the action by the chief to evict the people of Nwoase Village illegally from their farmlands.

According to him, most of the farmers were migrants from the North who arrived there several years ago.

“The farmers rented the land from Nana Adu Kofi III Atekoanohene, the traditional chief and owner of most of the farmland in the village. So for most of us, this is the only place we’ve known. We’ve lived here for generations,” he added.

According to him, because most residents lacked land ownership rights recognized in either the formal or customary system, it was easy for the Atekoanohene to sell the Nwoase’s 345 acres farmland to the highest bidder.

“This is not his first attempt to evict the people. Last year, Atekoanohene sold the same land to a different purchaser but later rescinded his decisions for unknown reasons. The supposed new landowners have begun cutting down our cashew trees on some 145 acres of land,” he claimed.

“We are exploring legal and other avenues to ensure that the rights of the people of Nwoase are protected. When we first saw them, they lied to us and said they were building a military camp but we later realised they were cutting down our trees and warned never to plant on our lands again,” he said.