Owner of Royal Farm in Akeredolu Village, Osu, Atakumosa West Local Government Area of Osun state on Sunday broke into tears when his 50 acres of palm trees and pineapples worth N150m were razed down by fire which destroyed his entire farmland.
The incident which has affected the jobs of over 40 employed workers on the farm, has left them in a state of uncertainty as without being told, their jobs have been terminated by their employers.
Speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Ile- Ife the owner of the farm, Mr Rufus Jegede, said the incident occured last week Friday.
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According to him, “before the incident, a minimum of 50 kegs of palm oil were being produced per week, while about 500 tons of pineapples were being harvested annually.
“I have lost close to 4,000 palm trees and five acres of pineapple farm, as they were badly burnt and, with the incident, there would be no harvest from the palm trees and pineapples this year.
“Only my farm was destroyed by the fire and some hoodlums might be the brain behind the inhuman act because this is the third time that the farm has been ravaged by fire since its establishment”.
“I started the farm, comprising palm oil production, animal husbandry, such as piggery and cattle rearing as well as other arable cropping in 2015 after my retirement and I have been contributing my quota towards ensuring food security in the country.
“We have created employment to no fewer than 40 workers, as we observed that the government alone could not do it, thereby reducing unemployment in the country.
“Before the farm got to this stage, we had been planting lots of things, taking them to the market with a view to reducing insufficiency in Nigeria,” he said.
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