Don’t give out cocoa farms for illegal mining — COCOBOD CEO
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has advised cocoa farmers to guard their cocoa farms jealously and resist the temptation to release those lands out for illegal mining activities, popularly called ‘galamsey.’
He said beyond negatively affecting cocoa production in the country, releasing lands for illegal mining also limited COCOBOD’s capacity to undertake its development projects in cocoa farming communities.
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He cautioned that the sustenance of the entire cocoa sector would come under serious threat, if cocoa farmers leased or sold their lands to galamsey operators.
Mr Boahen Aidoo was speaking at a cocoa farmers rally at Asankragua in the Western South Region on December 3.
Extra activities
Beyond its business of regulating Ghana's cocoa industry and marketing cocoa beans, COCOBOD undertakes development projects and provides amenities in cocoa communities to improve the living conditions of people in those areas.
The CEO said a reduction in proceeds from the sale of cocoa, resulting from a drop in the national yield, would forestall ongoing projects and make it impractical to undertake new ones.
He therefore appealed to cocoa farmers to remain in the cocoa farming business and resist temptations to go into other cash crop farming or give up their farms for other purposes.
Effects of galamsay activities
He also pointed out some of the effects of galamsay activities on the environment and the health of the people in the communities and beyond.
“Galamsay miners use mercury in their operations and mercury is a heavy liquid metal which is very toxic and it stays in the environment for so many years causing havoc to the environment long after the galamsay operators have moved on,” he said.
He thus urged the farmers not to be enticed by promises of immediate gains from galamsay operators or buckle to pressure from chiefs or other such actors to give up their lands for galamsay.
“It will be a shame for an otherwise hardworking farmer to miss out on the good times ahead for cocoa farming because of a decision to give up a land for galamsay,” he stated.
Productivity Enhancement Programmes
Mr Boahen Aidoo also advised the farmers to faithfully follow the Productivity Enhancement Programmes by COCOBOD to maximise yields.
To ensure a bumper harvest, he urged the farmers to prune their trees before they begin to flower, fertilise the trees when flowering begin and then practise hand pollination of the cocoa flowers.
He said these practices were expected to yield more than 20 bags of cocoa per acre when done effectively.
