Three regions are currently leading in destruction of cocoa farms by illegal mining activities also known as ‘galamsey’ according to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Prof. Michael Kwarteng, head of the Anti-Illegal Mining Unit of COCOBOD, who made the disclosure noted that although they receive reports from other parts of the country, that of the Western, Ashanti and Eastern regions are worse, with the Eastern Region’s own being the worst.
“The regions that galamsey is destroying most cocoa farms are Western South, Ashanti Region and Eastern Region but that of Eastern Region is worse. The other regions, there are not much reports. Even though we get cases from there but they are not much like those three regions where there are complaints everyday,” he said.
Prof. Kwarteng also bemoaned the devastating nature of illegal mining which is affecting the agricultural fortunes of Ghana.
The effect of the practice that has negatively impacted Ghana’s cocoa, according to him, has affected the entire agricultural spectrum, due to how contaminated the act has plunged the country’s water bodies into.
He explains the contaminated levels have rendered the waters useless, making them incapable to irrigate farms.
The Professor averred farmers have had to go to their farms with “pure water” to irrigate their farms since the rivers which they hitherto used have all been contaminated.
“The challenge today is that farmers do not even get water to irrigate their farms so they purchase pure [sachet] water to the farms to irrigate their crops. They don’t get water because all the rivers in their area have been contaminated. Labour on cocoa production has become difficult because the youth have migrated to galamsey and if care is not taken, it will affect even our education,” he said in Twi.
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