An early morning fire has gutted a rice farm operated by AgbuCity Farms, located along the river bank in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State,
The rice farm reportedly belongs to a Benue State All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, Dr Tiza Timothy Tarnongo.
Over 200 hectares of farm land was destroyed in the inferno causing an estimated loss of about N5 billion.
The cause of the fire which occurred in the early hours of Sunday is yet to be ascertained.
Sources said the fire broke out at about 10 am on Sunday and spread rapidly across the expansive farmland.
Attempts by farm workers and members of the host community to contain the inferno were not successful due to strong winds and the dry condition of the rice crop, which aided the swift spread of the flames.
However some harvesting machines belonging to the farm escaped destruction due to the efforts of farm hands and sympathisers.
Speaking on the incident, Dr Tarnongo, who is the Chief Executive Officer of AgbuCity Farms, attributed the scale of the damage to the dryness of the rice at the time of the fire.
He expressed deep sadness over the incident and assured that additional safety measures would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.
However, an Ad Hoc staff member of AgbuCity Farms, Mr Ernest Garri, said no casualty was recorded in the incident.
He said the destruction of the rice farm would bring severe hardship to many workers who depend on the project for their livelihood.
According to him, the incident is expected to worsen the economic challenges faced by those engaged on the farm.
