By Amos Aar
A WILD fire on Sunday destroyed over 200 hectares of unharvested rice farm belonging to a Benue State chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Tiza Timothy Tarnongo, inflicting an estimated loss of about N5 billion.
The fire incident in the farm, located in Tyough-Atee community of Gwer West LGA, operated by AgbuCity Farms in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria, occurred under circumstances that are yet to be ascertained.
Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out at about 10am and spread rapidly across the farmland. Efforts by farm workers and members of the host community to put out the flames were unsuccessful due to strong winds and the dry condition of the crops, which aided the swift spread of the fire. Two harvesting machines on the farm reportedly escaped destruction by a narrow margin.
Speaking on the incident, Dr Tarnongo, who is the Chief Executive Officer of AgbuCity Farms, attributed the scale of the destruction to the dryness of the rice at the time of the fire. He expressed sadness over the loss and assured that additional safety measures would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.
No casualty was recorded in the incident. However, an ad hoc staff member of the farms, Mr. Ernest Garri, said the destruction of the rice farm would bring hardship to many workers who depended on the project for their livelihood. He noted that the incident would further worsen the economic challenges faced by those engaged on the farm.
