Dozens of tobacco farmers in Gulu are counting losses after rains accompanied with hailstorms destroyed over 20 acres of tobacco crop worth millions of shillings.
A heavy storm on Monday night swept through Koro Sub County in Gulu district, leaving a trail of destruction.
The two hour rain struck unexpectedly at around 7PM on Monday evening catching many farmers unaware only to turn up on Tuesday morning to find their crops torn into shreds.
Mr Justine Odoch, a tobacco farmer at Wanglobo village, Lapainat East in Koro Sub County said the sight of his garden can cause tears.
Odoch says, “I lost one and half acre of my tobacco crop. I had valued it at Sh5 million.”
Odoch has a loan from Tobacco Company amounting to Shs5 million which he will pay back but remain with nothing else left meaning he will have worked for totally nothing.
Mr Morris Okello Belgium, the area Councilor 3 for Lapainat East parish says at least 45 farmers have been affected in the villages of Ogwil and Wanglobo.
Okello who also planted tobacco this season described the incident as unfortunate and said they are yet to come to terms with what befell them.
They have so far called for immediate assistance.
Other farmers who suffered the same fate are those who planted cassava, beans and simsim.
Gulu farmers are battling with animal disease outbreaks, hailstorms, prolonged dry spell, fire outbreaks and water logging.
