Kwamekyemkrom, a farming community near Mankranso on the Kumasi-Sunyani road in the Ahafo-Ano South District was thrown into a state of shock when fire destroyed 17.5 out of the 20 hectares of cocoa farm belonging to one Agya Ayamba Kusasi.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the incident Agya Ayamba said on January 29, he was in the house when one Kwaku Boateng, a shepherd for his sheep near the cocoa farm, came to tell him that the farm was on fire.

He said when he got to the farm with his two sons they saw it on fire and that they met one Issaka Moshie, a hunter, frantically trying to put out the fire.

Agya Ayamba said Issaka told them that he had been fighting the fire alone for sometime and that it had destroyed a greater part of the farm.

The victim said the farm had been his only source of livelihood for the past 30 years and that the disaster had left him a pauper since it would be difficult for him to take care of his family made up of two wives and 40 children.

He said all his children were in school and that four of them who were attending training colleges and senior secondary schools had dropped out because he was unable to pay their fees.

Agya Ayamba said his situation had been worsened by the fact that he had become disabled because a tree fell on him when he was preparing the land for the farm.

''I spent about one million cedis spraying the farm which raised the yield to about 150 bags of cocoa and was confident of getting more yields in the coming season but my hopes have been dashed.''

Issaka was arrested a day after the incident by the Pokukrom police but was released later because police interrogation revealed that he was passing by the farm when he saw the fire and tried to put it off.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire.