The 2018 Best Farmer and a cocoa farmer, Nana Charles Adu-Gyamfi, has warned that illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, could completely take over cocoa farmlands if urgent action is not taken.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, he said many cocoa farmers are losing interest in cocoa farming due to low returns, making them vulnerable to galamsey operators.
“If we don’t take care, galamseyers will take over cocoa farms just as they did some time back,” he cautioned.
According to him, when galamsey operators approach farmers to buy their cocoa farms, many agree to sell because the cocoa business is no longer attractive.
“Now, a lot of people are not interested in cocoa. So when a galamseyer comes and says he wants to buy the cocoa farm, the farmer will sell because he feels the cocoa business is not moving,” he explained.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi also raised concerns about the cocoa marketing system, noting that farmers are restricted from selling their produce to anyone other than the government.
“You cannot sell your cocoa to anybody apart from the government. If you try, you will be caught. That is why when farmers sell cocoa elsewhere, it is described as smuggling,” he said.
He explained that the government justifies this restriction by pointing to the support it gives farmers, such as free fertilisers and other inputs.
“The government believes it is helping farmers through free fertilisers and other support, so if you sell your cocoa outside, they say you are smuggling,” he noted.
However, he argued that the situation becomes difficult when the government delays in purchasing cocoa beans.
“They say the country is running at a loss if cocoa is sold outside, but the cocoa is there and the government is not buying it. So farmers are forced to sell elsewhere,” he said.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi urged the government to urgently intervene, warning that the situation is getting out of hand.
“We are appealing to the government to intervene. This issue is going very far, and it is dangerous,” he stressed.
He called for what he described as a national emergency to protect cocoa farmers and farmlands.
“Farmers provide the country with a lot, especially food. If we don’t stop these activities, farming will become very difficult. We need urgent government intervention,” he added.
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