Mankrom Cocoa Cooperative Farmers Association has stated that, illicit mining operations have damaged more than 100,000 acres of Cocoa farms. The farmers expressed their worries about the adverse effects on cocoa-growing regions, where farmlands are being destroyed in the rush to find gold. The association’s president stressed in an interview how urgently the government must step in to stop the continued damage and save the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.
He claimed the Cocoa Board has informed farmers that, given the extent of the damage and the powerful individuals involved in gold mining, they are powerless to take action at this time. He said “Illegal mining has devastated more than 100,000 acres of farmlands, which has an impact on us and our productivity for this year”. He said they are having difficulty getting harvest since majority of the cocoa has been chopped down, and once they have been cut down, things become more difficult.
He went on to add that going forward, a state of emergency should be declared by the government in the galamsey zones. He concluded that all galamsey matters ought to be put on hold so that, following the elections, a commission can be established to look into all instances of illicit mining in the nation and develop guidelines for mining in Ghana.
SOURCE: https://dew360.net
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