Over 100,000 Acres of Cocoa Farms Destroyed by Illegal Mining – Cocoa Farmers Association
The Mankrom Cocoa Cooperative Farmers Association has issued a stark warning over the destruction of more than 100,000 acres of cocoa farmland in Ghana, attributing the damage to illegal mining operations, commonly referred to as galamsey.
The rapid degradation of agricultural land is severely undermining cocoa production, one of Ghana’s key export sectors, and raising concerns about the broader economic and social impact of unchecked mining activities.
In an interview with Accra-based Citi News, the president of the association expressed frustration over the lack of government intervention, citing the Ghana Cocoa Board’s perceived inability to address the crisis.
“They are destroying cocoa farms and lands in pursuit of gold, and we have not seen any meaningful response,” he remarked, adding that the scale of the damage has left cocoa farmers struggling to meet production targets.
“More than 100,000 acres of farmlands have been destroyed, and it has affected our output significantly,” he noted.
The association’s leadership also criticised the government’s rebranding of illegal mining as “community mining”, arguing that the practice continues to wreak havoc on agricultural land.
“They are doing exactly what the illegal miners are doing,” the president stated, highlighting the farmers’ concerns that renaming the activity does little to mitigate its detrimental effects.
Calls for a state of emergency in galamsey-affected areas have grown, with the farmers urging the government to take decisive action. They propose the establishment of a commission to investigate illegal mining after the forthcoming elections, to create a comprehensive framework for responsible mining in Ghana.
Failure to address the issue, they warn, risks not only further undermining the cocoa industry but also encouraging a broader social and economic crisis, as more individuals may turn to illicit mining if left unchecked.
