Don’t Trade Cocoa Farms For Galamsey – Dunkwahene Warns
The Dunkwahene, Dr. Nana Okofrobuor Obeng Nuakoh III, has cautioned cocoa farmers against releasing their lands to illegal miners due to concerns over the recent reduction in cocoa producer prices.
He said although farmers may be worried about the price adjustments and the general challenges confronting the cocoa sector, engaging in or permitting illegal mining activities—popularly known as galamsey—would only compound their difficulties and destroy their future source of livelihood.
In an interview with the media, Nana Okofrobuor stressed that cocoa farming remains a sustainable and respectable means of income, unlike illegal mining, which leaves lasting destruction on farmlands and communities.
He explained that galamsey activities permanently damage fertile cocoa lands, pollute water bodies and leave deep uncovered pits that pose serious threats to human life. According to him, once the miners complete their operations, the land becomes unproductive and unsuitable for future farming, thereby plunging affected families into hardship.
Ghana’s cocoa sector, one of the country’s major foreign exchange earners, has in recent years been confronted with declining output, climate change effects, swollen shoot disease, rising input costs and the increasing destruction of cocoa farms by illegal mining activities. These challenges, he noted, require strategic interventions rather than short-term solutions that could worsen the situation.
The traditional ruler therefore appealed to the government to consider reducing the prices of farming inputs, particularly agrochemicals and weedicides, to ease the burden on farmers and restore their confidence in cocoa production.
He further urged policymakers not to underestimate the immense contribution of farmers to national development, emphasising that whether in food crop production, cash crop farming or large-scale agriculture, farmers remain the backbone of the economy and must be protected and supported.
