The Mankrom Cocoa Cooperative Farmers Association has revealed that over 100,000 acres of cocoa farms have been destroyed due to illegal mining activities.
The farmers voiced their concerns over the severe impact on cocoa-growing areas, where farmlands are being ravaged in the pursuit of gold.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News, the president of the association emphasised the urgent need for government intervention to halt the ongoing destruction and protect the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.
“They are destroying cocoa farms and lands for this illegal mining and we have not heard anything. In case the government is not aware of the destruction; the cocoa board is telling farmers that they cannot do anything as of now looking at the level of harm and the big men that are into gold mining.
“Now, even the government has changed the name and made it community mining. What is community mining? They are doing exactly what the illegal miners are doing.
“More than 100,000 acres of farmlands have been destroyed due to illegal mining and it has affected us and our production for this year. Because most of the cocoa has been cut down and once they have been cut down, it is making things difficult for us to get the harvest that we are getting.
“So, I believe that going forward the government should declare a state of emergency in the galamsey areas. All galamsey issues should be halted so that after the elections, a commission should be set up to investigate all the illegal mining in the country so that we come up with a blueprint, for the way that we should do mining in Ghana.
“Other than that everybody has to just wake up and search for gold and illegally continue on those businesses, then lives and properties will continue to be affected,” he stated.
Source: Citifmonline.com