The Cocoa Health and Extension Division of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has warned that Ghana’s cocoa industry could collapse if immediate steps are not taken to address the destruction of cocoa farms by illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey

The Regional Manager of the Western South Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD, Samuel Asuman, said more than 100,000 acres of high-yield cocoa plantations have been destroyed in some major cocoa-producing regions, including Ashanti, Western, and Central.

He said the increasing loss of cocoa farmlands, coupled with declining yields, has contributed to production deficits that are affecting the country’s cocoa export earnings.

Speaking at Samahu during the presentation of the Cocoa Farmers Support Programme organised by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation,  Asuman expressed concern about the impact of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, on the sustainability of the cocoa sector.

“The reduction in export volumes is limiting foreign exchange earnings and crippling COCOBOD’s capacity to settle operational debts or fund farmer welfare programmes,” he said.

According to him, illegal mining has become the biggest threat to Ghana’s cocoa industry, destroying farms despite significant investments made by COCOBOD to rehabilitate affected cocoa plantations.

“We recently undertook a project to rehabilitate diseased cocoa farms in the region and farmers have benefited immensely. However, when you visit some districts, you will be surprised by the extent to which galamsey activities are destroying farms that COCOBOD has invested so much to restore,” he added.

The Deputy Executive Director of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD, Abdul-Majid Mumuni, stressed that cocoa remains one of Ghana’s most important economic commodities and must be protected from activities that threaten its survival.

He urged cocoa farmers not to sacrifice their farms for illegal mining activities, warning that the long-term value of cocoa outweighs the short-term financial benefits offered by illegal miners.

“There is a future for the cocoa sector, and under no circumstances should farmers give out their cocoa farms for illegal mining activities,” he said.

Mumuni disclosed that the government and COCOBOD were working on measures to protect cocoa-growing areas, including strengthening sanctions against illegal mining operators whose activities destroy cocoa farms.

The Member of Parliament for Prestea Huni-Valley, Robert Wisdom Cudjoe, also cautioned cocoa farmers against selling their lands to illegal miners for quick financial gains.

He said some farmers had been enticed by immediate payments from galamsey operators without considering the long-term benefits of cocoa farming.

“The money they take will feed them for a short time, but cocoa is there forever,” he said.

Source: GNA