Chief James Olamiju, a cocoa produce buyer and farmer, has advised cocoa and other cash crops farmers to desist from indiscriminate trees felling and logging in their cocoa plantations.
Olamiju gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Oye, Ekiti on Wednesday.
The farmer said that the advice became imperative in order to guard against the destruction of cocoa and other crops plantations in their farms.
He explained that the damage done to tree crops through logging was greater than the money being received from timber contractors.
According to him, farmers should beware of timber contractors wooing them with money to cut down the tree crops in their farms.
“Apart from the damage that felling of such trees would cause to crops; it will expose such tree crops to excessive sunshine which could reduce its fruits bearing.
“Farmers should not fall to the trick of some timber contractors, whose aim is to cut down trees that are protecting tree crops, not minding its effect on the farms,” he said.
He urged tree crops farmers not to allow their farms to be destroyed because of the immediate monetary gains from timber contractors.
According to him, some timber contractors are in the habit of felling trees without getting permission from farm owners and later approach such farm owners to appease them with money.
He advised farmers not to take laws into their hands but to report erring timber contractors to the nearest police station. (NAN)
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