According to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), illicit mining (galamsey) activities in Boinso in the Western Region have cost the board GH4.8 billion in investments in 35 hectares of cocoa crops. The money was spent on expanding the nation's cocoa production, including planting new cocoa trees and plantain suckers, compensating landowners and fAll of the cocoa trees that were planted there, according to Rev. Edwin Afari, Executive Director of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division, have been felled for galamsey."We haven't even taken into account the upcoming harvesting. You can only image what is happening because of the investment; all of the work we put into that place has been in vain.armers, and providing extension services.In an effort to spark interest in cocoa farming, particularly among people with disabilities, the Board held a ceremony to recognize 15 blind cocoa producers as he spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the event.He noted that over the previous ten years, galamsey had had a significant impact on Ghana's cocoa business, and as a key source of foreign cash, the nation may suffer if the illegality persisted.Rev. Afari complained that the State Cocoa Company was having difficulty restarting the business because cocoa farmers were willingly or forcibly selling their estates for galamsey."A lot of the miners are giving us a lot of trouble in the southern section of the Western North and some regions of Ashanti Region, particularly the Manso Adobea, Antoakrom, and the Enyinam districts.“They are cutting away all the newly planted cocoa trees that we have, and it is really causing us a lot of investments, “she said.They are removing all of our recently planted cocoa trees, which is costing us a lot of money in investments, she complained.He claimed that Ghana was in danger of losing its cocoa industry and urged the government, the Minerals Commission, and chiefs to work together to combat the threat and preserve the sector by refusing to grant concessions in cocoa-growing regions. Due of this, he explained, "we gain foreign exchange, our Cedi is stabilized when it depreciates, and the government has more money to invest in all the development areas."And Mr. Afari added that although "the lump sum money may be nice now, it will not be good in the future because cocoa is available constantly."You will be earning more money than you are now if you do it effectively and collect 25 bags per hectare."He also expressed worry about the elderly cocoa farmer population, emphasizing the grave consequences this will have on the economy and overall development.He was concerned that despite the tremendous potential in the industry, many young people were not interested in careers in agriculture.He urged the youth, particularly professionals from all fields, to invest in cocoa in order to create wealth for themselves and the country.According to Rev Afari, the country hopes to produce 850,000 tonnes of cocoa this year, up from 683,000 last year.According to Rev Afari, the country hopes to produce 850,000 tonnes of cocoa this year, up from 683,000 last year.
By Shepherd Media
