270 Households Are Facing Hunger In Ofoase Ayiribi ...After Akyemansa District Assembly Has Destroyed Their Farm Crops For Agenda111 Project Without Compensation
The hunger of the farmers was trending upward, following the current decision taken by the government through the Akyemansa District Assembly to use bulldozers to destroy their farmlands which they planted cocoa, plantains, palm trees, yams, cocoyams, maizes, cassava, banana, onions, and other farm produces without crops compensation.
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater 
A total of two hundred and seventy (270) residents, predominantly farmers in Ofoase Ayirebi of the Akyemansa District in the Eastern Region are facing a growing level of imminent food insecurity, the soireenews.com can report.
The hunger of the farmers was trending upward, following the current decision taken by the government through the Akyemansa District Assembly to use bulldozers to destroy their farmlands which they planted cocoa, plantains, palm trees, yams, cocoyams, maizes, cassava, banana, onions, and other farm produces without crops compensation.
The officials of the Assembly have entered into their farmlands measuring 30 acres on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, and destroyed the farm without recourse to the damages they caused.
However, this news outlet has found that following the destruction of the crops due to the construction of the Agenda 111 project, the farmers whose farm crops were affected suffer from severe food shortages, meaning they would not have enough food for their households.
The affected farmers told Soireenews.com on Friday, February 18, 2022, that in the meeting with the top officials of the Akyemansa District Assembly led by the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Paul Asamoah, they were told by the DCE that the Assembly at this material times didn't have enough money to pay the crops compensation for the affected farmers.
They added that the MCE went on to explain that the Assembly will be in a position to pay for the crops compensation for the farmers after it received its share of the Assembly Common Fund.
Following this development, the farmers stated that they resisted his decision and requested that they should enter into a formal agreement with the Assembly which would be a legal backing for them that the Assembly agreed to pay the crops compensation after taking their farmlands.
According to the farmers, the Assembly completely ignored their request and it only went on to inform the farmers that it will come to clear their farmlands on Monday, February 14, 2022.
Interestingly, the farmers lamented that they were in their farmers on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, when the Assembly sent their workers to use the bulldozers to destroy their farms without paying compensation to them.
They pointed out that the workers of the Assembly resisted attempts by the custodian owners of the lands to stop them from clearing the farmlands.
They bemoaned that the Assembly didn't even table the issue for negotiations before they "unlawfully" entered into their farmlands and destroyed their cash crops. They lamented that some of the crops were staged for harvesting.
Speaking in an interview with Soireenews.com, the visibly worried farmers including a 90-year-old woman, Madam Adwoa Kodie at Ofoase Ayirebi stated that they legally acquired the lands from Akyem Bontodiasehene, Obrempong Adarkwah Gyamirah, and his elders who are the original owners of the said land to start farming on it for the past 50 years.
According to them, the District Chief Executive of Akyemansa District Assembly, Mr. Paul Asamoah, and Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr. Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah have taken over their thirty acres of the farmlands for Agenda 111 projects without any compensation.
"We are much worried over the decision by the Member of Parliament and the District Chief executive since they were not fair their movement to allow the Assembly to clear the land for the project without compensating them.
"What was very surprised to us is that when they started destroying the farms the custodian landowners in the persons of Akyem Bontodiasehene, Obrempong Adarkwah Gyamirah, and his elders have asked the workers of the Assembly to stop and compensate the affected farmers before the destruction, but they refused," the farmers lamented.
According to them, they are not resisting any attempt by the government to establish a hospital in the community but are expecting some crop compensations on the land.
For his part, Acting Kotoku Kyidomhene and Akyem Bontodiasehene" Obrempong Adarkwah Gyamirah said Government has not been fair to the farmers in the community and must pay compensation to them.
He confirmed that the farmers have legally acquired the land from them for farming and that they advised the Assembly to negotiate crops compensation with the farmers before they moved to the land and cleared for the project.
However, when Soireenews.com reached the DCE via telephone call yesterday to respond to the issue, he stated simply ' l not ready to talk now because am in meeting with some people and you can go ahead to do the story in your hands."
