Large swathes of cocoa farms in the northern part of the Volta Region have been burnt by bushfires that swept through them on Friday.

Apart from cocoa farms, palm plantations, cassava, plantain and other crop fields have been destroyed in the past three weeks by bush fires, which spread through quickly as a result of the prolonged, harsh Harmattan weather which prevailed until recently.

Farmers in Kadjebi, Jasikan, Nkwanta North and Nkwanta South had to fight those fires for hours.

Class News’ regional correspondent Emmanuel Atukpa reported that farmers whose farms have been spared the destruction are compelled to keep wake on their farms to prevent arsonists from setting their farms ablaze.

According to Atukpa, some of the affected farmers have become arsonists themselves, and are also burning other people’s farms.