By Our Agricultural Team

A proactive indigene in Batkanu, headquarter of Lebesegahun Chiefdom in Karene district, Northwest Region of Sierra Leone, Mr. Joseph Yankay Kargbo presently residing in the USA in a telephone interview on Friday November 3rd, 2023 has vowed to come home and organize a big meeting in his native home aimed at frustrating the continuous negative attitudes and behaviour of cattle owners whose animals have destroyed rice fields worth millions of leones which has increased poverty in the chiefdom and led to the forceful displacement of scores of farmers to other chiefdoms in search of better farming conditions.

Mr. Kargbo said several approach has been made to the Paramount Chief of the chiefdom, Bai Yankay Kargbo II, but instead of him to find immediate solutions by preventing these cattle owners, he has, to the detriment of farmers refused to apply appropriate measures. He said the reaction of the chief to the people who voted for him is seen as a violation of their fundamental human rights, which he has promised to combat in favour of farmers in his home town.

Mr. Kargbo said in order to bridge the poverty line and to boost the financial and economic wellbeing of their people, that’s why himself and many others have invested hugely in agriculture.

He said cattle owners are seen frequently at the residence of the Paramount Chief and suspicion has grown that the Chief has benefitted a lot of gifts to protect the interest of the cattle owners and this allegations could further be substantiated by this intransigence to act. He said that most of the youth labour force has abandoned their homes in search of greener pastures elsewhere to feed their families left behind.

He said this will not only affect President Bio’s “Feed Salone” project which will finance farmers in all districts but will increase poverty to the average villager. He called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Paramount Chiefs Council, Sierra Leone Farmer’s Association and the Civil Society for their immediate intervention. Mr. Kargbo said the family of the chief who have embarked on invective attacks at the protesting farming community better be warned to desist from henceforth as it has the tendency to escalate into violence.