Cocoa farmers selling farms to illegal miners — 2019 Best Farmer raises alarm

The 2019 National Best Farmer, Mr Adu Gyamfi, has raised alarm over what he describes as the growing menace of illegal mining and farming activities, warning that the situation is rapidly getting out of control and threatening the future of cocoa production in Ghana.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with a freelance journalist at his farm, Mr Adu Gyamfi said illegal miners are increasingly targeting cocoa farmers, offering to buy their farms outright. According to him, many farmers are agreeing to sell because cocoa farming has become less attractive and financially unrewarding.

“Now, a lot of people are not interested in cocoa. So when an illegal miner 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.

The award-winning farmer expressed concern that if the trend continues, vast cocoa farmlands could be lost to illegal mining, with serious consequences for food security and the national economy.

Mr Adu Gyamfi also criticised the current cocoa marketing system, which restricts farmers from selling their produce to buyers outside government-approved channels. He noted that the state justifies the restriction by citing support packages such as free fertilisers and farm 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 said.

He warned that unless government acts swiftly, the pressure on farmers would only worsen, pushing more of them to abandon cocoa farming altogether.

“We are appealing to the government to intervene. This issue is going very far, and it is dangerous,” he stressed.

Calling for what he described as a national emergency, Mr Adu Gyamfi urged authorities to prioritise the protection of 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.

Meanwhile, in a related development, a joint security operation in the Enchi Forest District has led to the arrest of 12 illegal miners, including three Chinese nationals, in the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Western Region. The operation also resulted in the seizure of an excavator and two gold detectors.

The Enchi Forest District Manager, Mr Joseph Appiah Frimpong, reaffirmed the Forestry Commission’s commitment to protecting forest reserves and natural resources.

“The Forestry Commission will not relent in its efforts to protect our natural resources,” he said. “I want to caution illegal miners and loggers to desist from these activities, as the Commission will remain relentless in pursuing them.”

Another forestry official, Bosompim, said the recent raid should serve as a strong warning to illegal miners across the country.

“Get out of our forests, get out of our rivers,” he warned. “If you do so, we will live in peace. If not, it’s just a matter of time. The long arm of the law will catch up with you, and that’s exactly what happened today.”