Hippos destroy 40 nursery beds at Moriba rice field:
Marauding hippopotamus on Thursday April 22 destroyed over forty nursery beds at Moriba rice field in Janjangbureh, CRR.The nurseries which were due for transplanting were seriously damaged thus causing another setback for farmers in the Central River Region, the farming community of which has double season annually.
A delegation comprising of agricultural officers from Sapu Agricultural Office, together with the National Assembly member for the area Hon.Foday Jibani Manka, Alh Omar Mambureh and the press visited the scene.
Speaking shortly after the visit, the National Assembly member for the area Hon. Foday Jibani Manka explained that the rice farm was established in 2002 in response to the clarion call made by President Jammeh ‘back to the land’.
He said that such damages caused by the hippos have never happened though the hippos do cause damage but not to this extent. He appealed to the Department of Wildlife and Conservation to intervene in order to minimize the damages.
The principal agricultural officer, Mustapha Drammeh opined that the hippos have caused extensive damages on the seedlings which were due for transplanting. He noted that the season has thus been delayed as a result of this. He also pointed out that hippos are always destroying rice fields, which is a big setback for farmers in the area.
